Snapshot Sunday

 

I want to try something a little different today.  In keeping with my August commitments, I’ve been taking (and posting to Facebook) the pictures for the daily photo challenge I’m in, as well as the occasional other photo here and there.  In the past, I’d posted these photos here most every day, usually creating a post around the picture.  But I haven’t done that in a while, and I think that was another reason it became easy to drift away from the practice of daily photography. 

So, for the month of August (and maybe further on, if it suits me), I’m going to introduce Snapshot Sunday.  I thought I’d do a weekly round-up of my daily challenge photos, as well as any others that I might be fond of this week.  I play along with some memes from other blogs during the week (check out my entries under these labels: ABCW, #5QF, and 6WS) , but this is the first theme of my own that I’ve introduced here, so it’ll be interesting to see how it goes.

First, this week’s challenge pics (though this week actually began in July):

 

Prompt:  The last thing you bought.  As I mentioned before, I’m going to put a few of my photos in an Etsy shop, so I had to get some basic supplies to get them printed.

 

Prompt:  Calm.  This is a gazebo in my neighbor’s yard.  Anytime I go by there, I think how restful it would be to have such a place of my own.  I’ve never seen anyone out there.

 

 

 Prompt:  Toothbrush.  Not really much to say about this, is there? Except that my batteries died a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t gotten around to replacing them yet.

 

  Prompt:  Outside.  Outside dining at my beloved Sonic.  Of course, around here, it’s rarely actually comfortable weather for outdoor seating, especially when it’s 110 degrees!

                                                            

 

  Prompt:  One.  One lonely cookie, and a bit of playing around with selective color.  I think you can’t tell that very much, because the box and crumbs are not obviously black and white, but it’s an early attempt.  Also, before the night was done, the lonely cookie had been put out of its misery.

 

 

  Prompt:  Coin.  My grandfather liked to collect coins.  Nothing really rare or valuable, just the slightly unusual, like silver dollars.  He gave me this when I was just a girl, and it became my lucky coin.

 

  Prompt:  Somewhere you sat.  My stability ball.  I spend far too much time sitting on my butt, what with all the TV watching and computer browsing I do, so I try to make sure at least a couple hours a day or so are spent sitting on the ball.  More if I can, but while it’s easy enough to watch TV while bouncing, the movement has to be slowed down when I’m reading, and I can’t bounce at all when I’m writing.

So those are the photos from the challenge this past week.  I don’t know that I think any of those are really spectacular prompts, but still sort of fun, and they give a glimpse into my daily life. 

Other than the daily photo challenge pictures, my most common photos are of the birds in my yard.  Here are a few from this week that I sort of liked.

 

 

 

 

The feeder is a popular spot.  This is a painted bunting, and (I believe) a grey jay.

 

 

 

 

The cardinals rarely venture too far out of the tree line, but this pair was interested in something on the deck—either some sort of dead bug carcass, or the ants said bug was attracting.

When I’m watering the cypress tree, the birds would much rather hang out there than in the bird bath, but close to the ground and the fresh water.

 

Okay, that’s it for the inaugural installment of Snapshot Sunday.  I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on the theme, the pictures, or anything else that’s on your mind.

My Personal Addiction

 

Television is intensely personal.~ Jessica Savitch

For last Tuesday’s daily photo, I told you about my favorite color, inspired by White Collar.  Well, if I’d looked ahead in the prompt list, I probably would’ve waited, and used them for today’s subject: your addiction.   There is no doubt that I’m truly addicted to this television program. 

But, really, my addiction goes deeper than that, to the medium itself.  After all, it was only just yesterday that I admitted to being a TV-aholic.  It’s been that way as long as I can remember.  Movies are great; live theatre is always fun; and books can take me places like nothing else.  But television . . . television is intimate.  With TV, I get not just an interesting story and fascinating characters, but relationships.  I can’t really explain it, but week after week, episode after episode, I feel like I get to know those characters, understand the way they think and feel, know how they’d react in certain circumstances.  It’s why I get crazy if the writers start taking short-cuts and making stupid mistakes with the characters in their care, because I know when something isn’t right.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not one of those weirdo people who can’t separate reality from make-believe.  I don’t get the actors mixed up with their characters.  I know it’s not real.  But it is a wonderful escape, that comes into my home every single day.  Hard to get much better than that.  And, as addictions go, it’s pretty harmless.

  My addiction: television.  Currently fascinated with White Collar and just about all things USA Network.

What harmless addictions keep you busy?

Fuzzy Serendipity

 

If I haven’t said it in a while, I’m having a really good time with the photo challenge from over at Fat Mum Slim.  It makes me think about the everyday things in a slightly different fashion, makes me think about things that I haven’t thought about in a while, and basically just lets me open my eyes and really see things.

Thursday, the prompt seemed even more wide open than normal:  texture.  Hmmm.  What might that bring?  So, while dinner was cooking, I took my phone outside and just started snapping pictures, hoping to get something that seemed particularly, well . . . textured.  I took bricks, siding, flowers, dirt, leaves, dried grass—anything that caught my eye.  And, really, I wasn’t even paying that much attention to the results, just snapping and moving on.  After all, I had some pork chops in the oven. 

So, after dinner it was time to see what I’d captured.  And, I have to tell you, while there is definitely a lot of texture to be seen in bricks, siding, flowers, etc., none of it really made for a very exciting picture.  Then, I got to a photo of the ground.  I’d snapped it because the grass was all dead and crunchy, and there were some dried up flower petals and seed buds; I just sort of liked the splash of color in a field of yucky, dead brown. 

But imagine my surprise when I pulled the image up on my computer screen and saw at the edge of the frame a little piece of fuzz that I hadn’t even noticed when I was so quickly snapping away.  The caterpillar that’s just barely crawling through my picture was completely unexpected, adding a bit of contrasting texture, and it totally made me love the photo.  It also totally made my day.

It’s hard to believe such a small fuzzy thing could be the highlight of my day, but sometimes it’s the small, unexpected things that mean the most.  And I’m glad the photo challenge gave me a reason to see it.

What moments of serendipity have popped into your life lately?

Letters and Updates

 

Time for another confession:  I’m not much of a fan of “grown-up” cereal.  And, even after 26 years of marriage, my husband still laughs about my fondness for the kid stuff.  I can’t help it; cereal should be sweet and tasty, not dull and stringy.

So, when today’s photo prompt was “letter”, I figured nothing could be easier than walking into the kitchen and pulling out the box of Alpha-Bits. 

                                                                         
I would’ve actually preferred to spell out the word ‘letter’, but either I’ve already eaten all the Es, or my box was poorly packed to begin with.   Either way, can you imagine what would’ve happened if I’d only had Special K or Fiber One in the pantry? 

And, after the photo shoot, I got a bit of a snack.

Next up on today’s conversation list is a minor update to the blog itself.  Thanks to several comments from the UBC group, and with some help from a post from Kimberly, I’ve decided to switch my comment platform over to CommentLuv.  I’ve visited blogs that use this system, and it seems pretty straight-forward from the commenter’s stand-point, with the added bonus for other bloggers of leaving a link back to their most recent post.  Seems like a winning idea to me, so I’m giving it a try.

If you are inclined to comment, I’d appreciate hearing if it goes smoothly for you, since it is a new system, and all.  I think I followed instructions properly, but you never know when the gremlins are going to get loose in the machine.  Especially when installation was handled by a middle-aged woman with a fondness for kid’s cereal.

My Favorite Color, At Least Today (July Photos, Day 10)

 

Let me spill the beans right up front: today, my favorite color is white.  I’m not sure too many people are that impressed with white; heck, I’m not even sure too many people believe white is actually a color.  Doesn’t matter, though.  I’m not here to debate light molecules and pigment, or whatever scientific mumbo-jumbo actually goes into creating color.  For my purposes today, white is a color.

Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s talk about why it’s the color I’ve chosen, and why just today.  Well, because on any other day, I’d probably answer the fave color question with mauve, or maroon, or some other red-or-pink-but-not-really-red-or-pink color.  But, any other day would not be the season four premiere of my current very favorite television show, White Collar.

For those of you who are fellow Collars (as fans of the show are known), I hope you tuned in tonight, because it was pretty darn good.

And, for those of you not familiar with it, let me give you a quick run-down of the basics:  it’s a buddy-cop/odd couple show about a con-man (Neal Caffrey) paroled into the custody of the only FBI agent ever able to catch him (Peter Burke).  They get on each other’s nerves almost as much as they genuinely care about each other.  And, oh, yeah—in the process, they catch criminals. 

Want to know why you should be watching?  I could probably give you a hundred reasons, but let’s start with a top 5:

#5.   Matt Bomer.

Yeah, I figured I might as well get this out of the way pretty quickly, because he’s one of the main reasons a lot of folks tune in.  As con-man Neal Caffrey, Bomer is well-dressed, charming, and always ready with a smile and a line.  The photo above is a bit unfortunate, because the sunglasses hide his gorgeous blue eyes, but trust me when I say they’re worth looking at.  But also trust me when I say they’re not nearly the best thing about the program.

#4.   Mozzie.

Perfectly portrayed by Willie Garson (Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City), Mozzie is Neal’s confidante and go-to guy, though he’s the polar opposite of the suave swindler.  With a classic quotation to fit any situation—stealing from everyone from Ginsburg to Disney—and enough conspiracy theories to boggle the mind of even Oliver Stone, Mozzie provides some comic relief, as well as serving as something of a foil to Peter Burke.  Really, from the first time we meet him, Mozzie is a gem.  And the first time Mozzie met Peter still ranks as my favorite scene in the show, three seasons later.

#3.   New York City.

I’m not really much of a big city girl myself, and, for the most part, the setting of any particular show is of little consequence to me.  After all, it’s about the characters, not the place, right?  But, somehow, in White Collar, the city feels important.  Maybe it’s because Neal loves NYC and his affection is contagious.  Or maybe it’s because the show actually films there, instead of taking the cheaper route of getting a few establishing shots and then moving the production to Canada.  Whatever the reason, it’s a beautiful part of the program, and I enjoy seeing the city through their eyes.

#2.   The writing.

Maybe it’s not surprising that someone who spends good amounts of her spare time typing away at a keyboard is fascinated by the words and the storytelling, but the WC crew gets it right.  Each week we get (mostly) interesting criminals, fun scams, and smart good guys.  We also get underlying mythology that’s spread out little by little throughout each season to teach us more and more about Neal and Peter (but mostly Neal).  But more than anything, we get excellent dialogue.  It’s quick and sharp and always on the mark.

#1.   Um, Peter and Neal.  Duh.

I mentioned it’s a buddy-cop show, right?  And I’ll admit it:  I’m a sucker for these types of shows—I’ve been watching them all my life.  But good television is about good characters, and Peter and Neal are both really well-drawn characters brought to life by talented actors.  Watching them spar and bond and grow is almost more entertaining than the case of the week or the slow unraveling of the history of Neal Caffrey.  Their developing friendship (I’ve never been overly fond of the word “bromance”) is a joy to watch and be a part of.

So there you have it: the reason my favorite color today is white, and some reasons you ought to think about making it yours—at least every Tuesday.

Are you a fellow Collar?  Or do you have a show you eagerly await each week? 

Why I don’t Write Poetry

 

I’m taking a short break today from the photo challenge to chat about something else.  Not taking a break from the challenge itself, mind you—the photo has been dutifully taken, posted, and pinned—just a break from blogging about it.  (At least for now; today’s entry will almost certainly wind up here some time soon.)

Anyway, today’s topic is about one of the other activities that has been occupying my mind lately, the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  Perhaps you noticed the widget over on the side in the past day or two?  Anyway, this particular challenge is all about consistent posting and increased readership.  The “rules” of the challenge, if you will, are pretty simple:  post daily during the month of July (technically, 31 posts; it’s a bit lax if you need to play catch-up and post more than once a day or something), and be part of the greater blogging community by reading/commenting on others’ blogs.  Like I said, simple.

The daily posting part I’ve been okay with for the past month or so, and the photo challenge has been really helpful with that, always giving me a starting point for ideas.  But while I’m not trying to rule the blog world or anything, it wouldn’t bother me at all to have a few more reader/commenters, so networking with like-minded folks seemed like a good idea.

So what, you are likely asking yourself by now, does any of this have to do with writing poetry?  Well, nothing, really.  But, one of the things that comes along with joining up with the UBC are some daily topic prompts, just in case you’re running dry at a particular moment in time.  Today, I decided to try one of the suggestions, and, well, “why I don’t write poetry” was the lucky one.

Sad to say that after all of this lengthy build up of how we got to where we are, the answer is really quite simple (simpler even than the UBC rules):  I don’t write poetry because I suck.  I’d give you an example, but, really, I suck.  So, instead, I’ll share with you the most recent poem that really resonated with me.  First, though, I should warn you that it came to me—multiple times—by way of Facebook.  That ought to tell you something right there. 

Ready?  Here we go:

 

 

 Image credit is hard with this sort of internet sensation, but I got it here.

But while it may be some sort of indictment of more than my poetry skills that I found that extremely funny, the other sad truth is that any poem I would try to compose would make this look like something from the Poet Laureate. 

I think it’s important that we can recognize our limitations along with our strengths.  I mean, I’m not claiming to be the next Great American Novelist, or anything, but I can string together words in a reasonable enough fashion to convey information, evoke emotion, or simply engage a reader in mindless conversation.  But poetry—from iambic pentameter to free verse and everything in between—eludes me.  Always has.  And, most likely, it always will.  I mean, I could devote some time to trying to learn how to put words together in that fashion, but why?  As we’ve seen, it doesn’t take great poetry to entertain me, so why not leave the whole thing to others who have more appreciation and respect for the genre?   I think that sounds like a perfectly fine idea.

So, to recap:

1. I’m participating in a daily blogging challenge
2. Poems are hard and I suck at writing them
3. Bacon

What about you? Where do you draw the line in your creative endeavors? And, by the way, what’s your stance on bacon?

 

What Sundays Were Meant to Be (July Photos, Day 8)

 

I had thought that maybe Brian and I would go out for a nice lunch somewhere today.  After all, he’s been gone for a week, and we were apart on our anniversary; a decent meal out seemed like a pretty good idea.  Besides, it would help me out with today’s photo prompt to have a nice steak and salad or something—that strikes me as a fairly photogenic meal.

As it turns out, though, that was not on Brian’s agenda.  And, since he’s the one who’s had the horrendous week and is still grieving, he definitely gets to pick.  So, we did what folks do on weekends and ran a couple of necessary errands, then returned home for the day.  We fired up the grill and had some hot dogs and just sat outside for a really long time.

It was nice just to be together, chat a little bit, and mostly just relax.  While he’s definitely way ahead of me in the reasons-to-be-stressed category this week, I haven’t exactly been having a walk in the park myself.  A low-key afternoon was just what the doctor ordered for both of us.

And we spent a lot of the time with our attention focused on my shiny new bird feeder, hoping we’d see some flying critters come by for a snack.  And, our time was well spent, with maybe a dozen birds dropping by over the course of the afternoon.  We even had a cardinal visit the feeder, but that was before I had my camera with me. 

So, while I was prepared with a perfectly functional picture of my yummy, low-key hot dogs . . .

I much preferred the shot of one of our feathered friends enjoying his repast:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really, I’m not sure Sundays get much better than this.

What’s your idea of the perfect Sunday?

Introducing the Magenta Thumb (July Photos, Day 7)

 

You heard right: a magenta thumb.  Though, in truth, I’m not sure if such a thing actually exists.  But . . .

 According to this color wheel, magenta is the opposite of green, and I most definitely do not have a green thumb.

                                                                         

                               Image credit: williamcromar photostream

The truth is, when it comes to things floral, I’m pretty much the kiss of death.  So, when I read today’s photo prompt for ‘garden’, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be shooting anything of mine.  Actually, when I read the list at the beginning of the month, I thought of a vegetable garden that one of the folks down the street grows, and I thought I’d use that as my model.  But then today rolled around, and I wasn’t really in the mood for strolling down the road, so . . .

We have one plant that serves as a windowsill garden.  I don’t even know what it is—some kind of cactus or another.  We’ve actually had it a pretty long time, all things considered, like maybe a couple of years.  And I say “we” because even though it was given to me, it’s only still living because Brian manages to keep it that way.  Really.  I always over water, or under water, or give too much light or not enough—you get the idea.  I just can’t get it right. 

It also doesn’t help that I’m sort of forgetful about the greenery.  Brian returned home today and was very concerned about the few trees on our property that require some actual attention.  And, given my lack of success with growing things, can you blame him?  Anyway, the ones he had specifically told me to water were fine.  The one he forgot to add to the list is looking a little peaked.  Not like I didn’t know it was there.  And not like I didn’t know—somewhere in my brain—that it needs water every day.  It just didn’t really make it to a conscious thought.  I’d blame it on the crazy week I had, but I’m too honest to let you think that’s likely to be the entire reason.

And, don’t even get me started on some sort of ground cover he was growing.  I did notice that it was drying out, but I thought it was a bunch of weeds, so I left it be.  Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the crazy week I was having, I might’ve pulled them out of the ground, so thank goodness I was otherwise engaged, eh?

At any rate, as I mentioned, no green thumb for me.  I don’t know if there’s an actual nickname for those of us afflicted with this condition, but unless I hear otherwise, I’m sticking with magenta thumb.  After all, magenta really isn’t such a bad color at all, so I can live with that.  The surrounding flora, on the other hand, well, that’s another story.  Let’s just not tell them that the colorful moniker is really a death sentence to plant life everywhere, okay?

What about your thumb, green or magenta? You can tell me; I won’t judge.

Odds and Ends (Including July Photos, Day 6)

 

As you might’ve guessed from the title, today is a bit of a hodgepodge, so let’s get started.

~First, the photo of the day—chair. 

I’ve always liked director’s chairs.  I don’t know why; maybe because they seem like an entry into the movie-making world that I’ll never be a part of.  Like a secret handshake, only you don’t really know what the club’s about.  Or, maybe they’re just fun and whimsical.  Either way, I like them. 

My friend, Kim, gave me this many, many moons ago, emblazoned with her nickname for me.  Honestly, I can’t even remember now why that got started, but I can tell you that her counterpart is Wubs.  You know, it’s interesting to think about how often she shows up in my daily photos.  Lots of history there, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

~I’m beginning to think the University of Phoenix has issues with their transcript delivery process.  I requested copies be mailed to me nine days ago, and they aren’t here yet.  Now, I know that’s not really all that long, and there was a holiday in there, but really, it only takes a couple of days to move mail.  Plus, it’s been one month ago that I requested a copy be mailed to my new school, and that one hasn’t gotten there, either.  Yeah, I’m thinking maybe there’s an issue.

~I’ve been on a Ding Dong kick lately.  I’m not sure why, but I need to turn that trend around.  I’ve still got another twenty pounds to lose to reach my goal, and after this past week, it’s likely closer to twenty-five!

~I finally have a swimsuit that fits!  I had to buy another top, but it was on sale, and I had coupons, so it was really cheap.  And, it was really worth it to finally be able to quit worrying about showing off more than I intended.  Ding Dongs or no, my boobs still aren’t getting any bigger!

~Brian’s coming home tomorrow.  He told me today that his sisters decided he should be the one to have his dad’s flag from the burial (Pop served in WWII, including at Normandy), so we’ll need to find a nice display case for it.  I looked at Michael’s this evening, but I didn’t really like what they had.

~The reason I was at Michael’s to begin with was to pick up a collage frame.  I made a present for Brian, and I’m hoping it won’t make him even sadder. 

~I saw two birds at my new feeder this morning.  They’re the first ones I’ve seen this week, so I’m hoping they’ll spread the word about the new place in town.

~Lastly, my sleeping habits are getting worse by the day.  Case in point: it’s almost 4:00am, and I’m sitting here writing this.  I’ll be lucky to be out of bed by noon.  Not sure how that’s happened, but it’s worse than when I was working a night shift.  Besides being inconvenient, I know it’s really not healthy to get my rest all out of whack like that.  In fact, it’s probably a big part of the reason I haven’t been losing any weight for the past few months.  (Well, that and the Ding Dongs.)  I think I’m just going to have to start making myself go to bed no later than midnight so that I can get back on something approaching a normal schedule.  I think I’ll feel better.

So, I think that’s it for today.  I’m going to go to bed and sleep like a baby—except for the part about waking up in two hours for feeding.  You know, unless there are Ding Dongs.

What kind of odds and ends are going on in your world?

 

July Photos, Day 5—On the Floor

                                                                                           

 

  Here’s the deal:  I’ve got absolutely nothing profound—or even particularly interesting—to say about this photo.  It’s been a long week, I’m exhausted, and I’m hoping to make it to bed before midnight for once.  (Though I’m about to run out of time.)

Oh, well, I suppose I should include a safety disclaimer.  My car was not really moving when I took this picture (though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try to get one while I was actually driving).  Also, regardless of the title of the prompt and the nifty editing effects, I was not really going warp speed, even when the car was moving.  There’s usually at least a little room left between my gas pedal and the floor!  Honestly, I’m a pretty good driver, if I do say so myself, with only one speeding ticket in my whole entire life, and that was a pretty long time ago.  In addition to wisdom, I think with age comes a little bit of extra caution, and I think that’s okay.

Are you a speed demon behind the wheel, or a slow poke?   And have you always been that way?

 

Fun on the 4th of July (July Photos, Day 4)

 

If you’ve been following along the saga of my life of late, it’s probably not surprising that this year’s 4th festivities are a little low-key.  Brian is out in Philadelphia and Granny is still sick (though much better), not to mention family members who had to work on this holiday, so nothing much going on today.  I did bundle Granny up and take her to my house for the day.  The change of scenery was good for both of us, I think, and I got to spend some time outside grilling and sitting by the pool.

So, no big gathering, and no traditional trek to watch the fireworks display this year, but it was still a good day.  We grilled some burgers and dogs and ate a lot of sweets.  Not the best for my diet, but pretty good for the morale.  And, we also had some olives.  My nephew had never had green olives, so I got a jar of those so he could give them a try.  They were not a hit.  But he does like black olives (who doesn’t?), though he was perplexed by the label on the can extolling the virtue of their fingertip size, so he clearly had another olive first to experience.  I know I mentioned just last week that I had outgrown the tendency to eat olives off my fingers, but . . . 

So, this 4th of July might not have been our typical extravaganza, but I think it’s okay if we remember it as the year of the olives.  Hey, maybe it’ll even become a tradition.

Please tell me I’m not the only grown-up who still occasionally plays with her food.

 

The Best Part, Sort Of (July Photos, Day 3)

 

If I may borrow from Mr. Charles Dickens for a moment . . . it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 

Today, while I was sitting with Granny at her house, Billy was taking care of things here at home.  It was during the routine yard chores that he found an abandoned litter of newborn kittens, with no mama cat in sight.  Unfortunately, one little baby was already dead, and one was obviously terminally ill, but the third and final one seemed viable. 

Billy’s first plan of attack was to get Sable, our mama cat, to adopt the stranger baby, so he introduced them.  Apparently it worked for a short while, and the baby was able to nurse, but then Sable wanted nothing more to do with the tiny thing.  Animals are like that sometimes—probably more often than not.

But the little baby was hungry and scared and crying loudly.  Since we live sort of in the country, a defenseless kitten calling attention to itself like that is asking to be a meal for something, so Billy put the little thing into a box and brought it inside for protection.  By the time I got home, he had realized that the kitten wouldn’t drink anything.  He said there was some fake cat milk you could buy (who knew?) but it was already late and he didn’t know where to get it.  I called the all-night vet and they said we could get some at Wal-Mart.  Say what you will about Wally World, but when you need some fake feline food at almost eleven o’clock at night, it’s nice to know they’re there. 

Unfortunately, even with special fake milk, the baby still wouldn’t eat, and was getting too cold without a mama to snuggle up to.  We bundled her up and took her to the aforementioned vet, but there was nothing they could do for her. 

Though the story had a sad ending, seeing Billy so very concerned with a stray animal caused my mama heart to swell with pride.  At almost twenty-one, he often tries my patience, and there are lots of things we don’t see eye to eye on, but when I see this kind of love, I know that inside, he’s still the sweet little boy that I knew so many years ago.  And, more important, it renews my faith that he will once again be that sweet person, even on the outside. 

 

July Photos, Day 2—Busy

 

Honestly, in the months that I’ve been unemployed, I’ve had far fewer busy days than I have in my entire adult life.  And, if we’re still being honest, I don’t really mind that too much.  But today, I actually had quite a few things on my to-do list:

• Week 8, Day 1 of C25K
• Drive up to Rose State to try and move along the enrollment process
• Grocery shopping for 4th supplies
• Stop by a couple stores to pick up Brian’s anniversary present(s)
• Check the job listings (a daily task these days)

• Laundry
• De-clutter desk
• Start again on photo scanning project

So, yeah, I had quite a few things on my plate.  I hadn’t quite decided how that was going to materialize as the daily photo prompt, but I figured something would present itself somewhere along the way.

However, since I was up until after 4:00 yesterday morning (for no particularly good reason), my busy day began by sleeping until almost noon.  Then, as soon as I got up, I had a couple of texts from Brian looking for a bit of information, and asking that I go ahead and reserve his return flight home for the weekend.  I was in the middle of that task when I got a call from the Meals on Wheels folks saying my Granny hadn’t been feeling well enough today to come to the door to get her meal.  A quick phone call confirmed that she was, indeed, seriously under the weather.

So, I quickly changed into some normal clothes (I’d dressed for my first task, the workout), and headed over to Granny’s house.  Turns out her blood sugar was dangerously low, causing her to be too weak to even get out of bed.  Her home nurse came by to confirm nothing more drastic, and I spent the day mostly sitting on my butt at her house, only occasionally moving to take her some orange juice and check to make sure she was sleeping okay.  And, now, just before 2:00am, I’m still sitting in her living room, and I just woke her up for another glass of juice.  Needless to say, absolutely nothing on my list has been checked off.  (I did manage to hit ‘confirm’ on Brian’s flight reservation, though, before I ran out the door to Granny’s.)  Hopefully at least some of it can get accomplished tomorrow.

Thankfully, my sister came by for a while after she got off work, and I had time to run home and grab some stuff for my overnight stay.  In addition to my toothbrush and change of clothes, I took the time to grab my laptop, camera, and exercise DVD.  I spent the last hour of the day being busy getting my sweat on.  Thank goodness for contingency plans.

Had any days lately that just went completely off-track?  Did you manage to salvage them?

 

Me! (July Photos, Day 1)

 

Before I get to the daily photo, I’ll begin with sad news:  the passing of my father-in-law.  While his short illness was pretty severe and didn’t leave much hope for recovery, it was sudden, and he’d been so healthy up until then that we were holding out hope for something of a miracle.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.  But I’ll take the granting of enough remaining time that Brian was able to get home in time to be with his family at the time of the passing.  Sadly, Pop was not alert, and there’s no real proof that he even knew Brian—or anyone else—was there, but I choose to believe that he did. 

It’ll be a hard week for Brian and his siblings as they plan services and begin to deal with the estate, but at least they’ll have each other to lean on.  And, while it’ll never really be easy, their grief will get easier and they’ll eventually be able to look back on their memories and be happy for what they had instead of sad for what they’ve lost.  And everyone knows how much Pop has missed his wife since she passed on last year; there’s comfort in knowing not only that he’s no longer suffering, but that he’s with his only love again.

 Summer of 1990, Me & Brian with Mom & Pop

As for photo a day, the first July prompt is one of my not-favorites:  self portrait.  As I think I’ve said before, pictures of myself aren’t high on my list of fun times.  But I’m trying to get better about that.  It’s another random thing that losing weight is helping with, actually.  First, because I’m trying to take a couple of photos of myself at least a few times a year to document my journey, so I’m getting more practice.  And, secondly, I don’t look as bad anymore!  Always easier to document your life—including yourself—in pictures when you don’t cringe just to look at them. 

So, anyway, I did take a few selfies today, and found I didn’t hate them, so I think I’m still making progress.  Of course, it might be a little bit of cheating to wear the hat, since it was sort of like a costume and made me feel less like myself, but it is still me.