July 24, 2010
Today I wrote a letter to a friend. When addressing the envelope I never print it out. I handwrite it and usually put little hearts or xxoo somewhere on it no matter who I am sending it to. They are my friend and I love my friends. I remember growing up spending summers writing letters to everyone. I sent post cards on every single trip we took. But letters, they were important. Much like the technology today on Facebook and this blog.
The summer offers so much. These are a few of my favorites:
1. Little league at the ball park across from my house.
2. Icecream cones
3. Lemonade
4. The smell of honeysuckle
5. Family reunions
6. Sitting in the swing on the front porch
7. Playing with the baby at the park
8. “The Sun Also Rises” ~Hemingway
9. Tending the garden
10. Walks in the evening
11. Do nothing days
12. Late night drives listening to Coast to Coast a.m.
13. A phone call from a long lost friend
14. Chatting for hours wtih that long lost friend
15. Having blog friends over for dinner
16. Summer music festivals–Redlands Bowl (I miss that place)
17. Gospel Music Texas Style at The Place
18. The coolness of the sheets in the morning upon wakening
19. A summer thunderstorm
20. Catching a movie at the drive-in
21. Sorting through old letters
22. Finding a $10 bill in the pocket of shorts not worn since last summer
23. Lunch with girlfriends
24. The smell of fresh cut grass
25. Playing music out on the porch with friends
26. Driving without a map just to see where the road goes
27. Riding in the rain
28. Taking random photos with the cell phone
29. Drinking an ice cold Mexican coke–in the glass bottle of course
30. Walking down the street to get a snow cone
31. Stopping by the library on the way home to check out the book “Infinite Jest”
32. Taking a calligraphy course
33. An afternoon nap during the week
34. Making homemade ice cream
35. Pedicures
36. Listening to nothing but the wind blowing on a hot summer day
37. Exploring Glass Beach near Fort Bragg
38. A spontaneous and random day trip to some place off the beaten path
39. Spending hours in the very cool basement reading historic medical journals at Loma Linda Library while waiting for the results of a test.
40. Taking pictures of strangers
July 21, 2010
Just after 9 I left for Denison. There was business to take care of there and in Sherman. That came first. But the day was so beautiful, I wanted to breath in that warm summer morning air, feel the breeze on my face. And I wanted to explore Main Street but wanted to do so with friends. Next time.
The sky was brilliant blue and even the very modern Bank of America building looked good against it amongst all the very the much older refurbished store fronts that line Main Street. I took care of one project there and rounded the corner heading for the second.
I thought about all these things I love about the summer months, minus the very hot days: Browsing the antique shops for hours, and sipping on a coke in a soda shop while watching the rain from a short lived heat shower in the middle of the afternoon.
On the way home I pulled in to the Sonic at noon and ordered an ice cream cone. I looked out across the open pastures and watched the clouds float by.
July 20, 2010
The baby watched as his aunt sprayed her mare with the waterhose, cooling off a hot horse. The days have been quite warm.
This image was made today while the horses were being cooled off. The baby watched from the porch very seriously for he wanted to be out there in the grass playing in the spray from the hose.
The mood of this image is different from that of the original. In this I had cropped much closer to the baby, increasd color/contrast and a few other adjustments, very simply. But it seemed to take me ten minutes to do it. For the past six years I have used PaintShop Pro. PhotoShop is now on this computer and it is similar in some respect but very different overall.
I realized how comfortable I got with it and could process photos in not time at all. I knew what kind of effect, size, shape, and contrast. I could layer, color, paste, multiply, and so on. I am not even sure how to crop with PhotoShop.
In life, we become very comfortable with our routines and forget that in order to grow we must challenge ourselves with new experiences. With that it means change; not doing things the way we always have. Constantly open doors for new opportunities for yourself. Stretch. It feels really good.
July 8, 2010
This refrigerator appears to be low on goods. I’m sure that if it were smaller it would not leave me to believe I have to fill it with fewer items. The baby however was able to find some treats and brought to me a small bottle of lime juice off the door. I think I will give him the little plastic container once empty. Why buy kids toys? They make the most of what’s around the house. And if I am not looking, he will fill the bottom drawer with blocks and other items he has found.
Thanks to modern day technology, the designers of this mighty refrigerator made the doors heavy enough to keep a 15 month old out. However, while wiping off shelves and tidying up the inside, my dietary manager aka the 15 month old had to over see the operation.
This morning I scribbled a list of items I need for the week: Milk, eggs, butter, juice, yeast, and some meat items. How and what I cook has changed considerably in the past two years. I make just about everything from scratch. Right now bread is being prepared to be baked later this morning. Soup no longer comes from the can, nor does any kind of broth.
How I store my items has extended their use. I buy fresh produce almost always especially when the price is right. All of this saves me over $50 a month on my food bill. Throw in about $20 in coupons. Once home and the car is unloaded, how food is put away is important and this should not be put off. All produce is taken out of those little plastic bags and washed right away (some items excluded-strawberries for one). Everything is trimmed and packaged so that when it’s time to make dinner, very little will be put into getting these items ready. You might have to dice or slice, but at least your veggies are clean and cut.
I can my own produce and freeze items more efficiently for longer periods in the icebox. That garden in my back yard has produced enough to keep me very busy for the summer. There were enough black eyed peas from last year’s crop to extend almost a year. I have 2 jars left. The garden is bigger this year. In fact, I am picking about every 2 days enough peas to fill a pint jar. Plenty of okra, pickles, and roma tomatos. Two pints of tomato puree so far.
Most importantly, it’s good healthy eating. My family is so important to me and the time we spend together not just eating but preparing foods simply seals in love.
July 7, 2010
Since my camera is being used at McDonald’s Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas, by a really smart scientist, and because all my files are backed up on a drive in my husband’s office, I just don’t have a thing on this computer to share with you. Instead I went to my smugmug page and pulled off a picture from November 2008. Here’s the story.
This scene was taken from Vista House at the Columbia River Gorge, November 2008. The wind was blowing so hard I could hardly stand up. A woman fell as she climbed the steps up to the house swept by strong gusts. I needed help opening the door of my car to get out. You can see the sand blowing in the background of this picture.
Don’t let such barriers block your focus. I thought of this when browsing through that gallery. We all enjoy achieving goals. But those road blocks show up just about the time I sit down to set goals. Perhaps you run into them after execution. Whatever, whenever, here are a few that we often face on that long road to success:
Fear of failure
Uncertainty
Distractions
Looking back–being haunted by past failures
Poor commitment
Lack of time or poor use of time
Lack of resources
Lack of motivation
Just giving up
Stop all this. Get out of your chair and get going. Don’t allow a strong wind to blow you over. It doesn’t blow forever anyway and you’d be surprise how many others want you to meet your goals, fulfill your dreams.
Now I’ve got a plan to write.
