Patience is A Virtue

Sometimes when you are willing to keep trying, and be very, very patient, the stars align and you are rewarded.

I've whined and bemoaned about my inability to capture the swans in all of their glory for a long time now...years in fact!  Way before I had a blog I would patiently trek outside each winter and "hope" to be able to get even one good shot of these beautiful creatures in their natural environment.

And year after year they would tease me.  Watching me quietly sneaking around the yard with my camera at the ready.  And it wasn't just me, they would taunt Mr. Tide as well, and he would come inside ever hopeful that he had finally captured "the shot," only to find blown out fuzzy pictures of swan butts as they swam off to the farthest reaches of our creek.

Finally, my patience paid off and this week I got the pictures I had been longing for for over 4 years!  The swans must have heard my sighs of frustration and thought I had proven myself worthy by not giving up and giving in.  This past week they graced me with more than swan butts, and they even looked me in the eye as if to say "patience is a virtue, and you are now virtuous enough to capture our beauty."  And so I did, and I hope that these will eventually find their way onto canvas or metal, but for now I'm just happy to stare at them!

Thank you swans for trusting me enough to show you in all your graceful glory to the world!

Bird Brain

Thank you so much everyone for the wonderful comments you left on my last post.  It's always a little scary to say "hey world look at my dream," but you all made me feel like I can do anything!  And it's because of you all and the support of my family and some dear friends that I even entertained the notion of doing fine art photography in the first place, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

The last couple of days I've been feeling kind of blechy.  I take several medications for my thyroid and adrenals and every so often the balance of everything gets knocked off center ever so slightly, but enough to make me feel pretty awful.  I then go have blood work done and my doctor adjusts the medications and then I'm back to feeling fit as a fiddle again.

This afternoon, after spending most of the day in sweats and not even getting a shower I decided I better drag myself outside and at least get some fresh air.  The swans were in the creek and they were actually pretty close to our property so I bundled up and headed out with camera in hand.

I quietly went around the side of our property into the woods so as not to startle the swans and make them move to the other side of the creek.  I was stealthy and I took great care in not crunching too many leaves or snapping too many sticks as I struggled through the brambles to get to the shoreline where I had a clear shot of them

It's like these birds have ESP or something and can sense me coming before I even leave the house.  As you can see by the pictures, by the time I got to a good vantage point, neatly hidden by the trees and briers they had moved off anyway!  That one swan put on quite a little show for me as I stood there patiently for the next almost 40 minutes, trying not to breath too loudly!  A little song bird was fooled and even landed about 2 feet from me, but not the swans, that one raised his wings as if he were saying nanny nanny boo boo, you'll never get a close up picture of us!

I waited a few hours and once again they moved closer to our shoreline, so I bundled myself back up, unshowered and in my lovely sweats and headed back out...I would not let them win I thought!  I'm sure my neighbor gets a big kick out of this little game I play with the wildlife around here.  I bet she thinks I'm some sort of crazy person, but she's just too polite to say so.  She probably calls her friends and family and says things like  "She's out in that darned red hat and pink scarf again...and I don't think she's had a shower either, she looks a mess!"

I wouldn't blame her, I do kind of look like a cross between a crazy person and some sort of artsy eccentric on days like today when I'm feeling under the weather.

Once again the swans thumbed their beaks at me, but thankfully a few other birds were more cooperative, like the gorgeous male cardinal in the two photos above!  He and a female cardinal happily flitted from tree to tree and were glad to get somewhat close.

Mr. Tide released the hounds a little while later and came out to see if I was a popsicle yet.  I was half frozen due to the fact that I left both socks and my gloves in the house.  When you go out to take pictures you sometimes tell yourself that you'll just be out for a few minutes, but you rarely are.  At least I rarely am!  I sometimes talk to the swans in my head and tell them that if they would just come a little closer I would share all of their majesty and beauty with all of you, but apparently they don't care too much for publicity!

Just when I was ready to throw in the towel for getting any really good bird photos, the bluebirds showed up and they were more than happy to cheer me up and give me a few good photo ops.  I love that about the bluebirds, they are always so happy and sweet looking.  They were also my mother's favorite bird so they remind me of her, which makes me glad whenever they grace us with their presence.

By this point I truly was a bit of an ice cube so Mr. Tide took over the picture taking duties and I headed back inside to fix a cup of tea.

The bluebirds were out in force and had moved over to my neighbor's yard to feast on whatever they found so appetizing in her grass.

You can see 4 of them all lined up waiting to fly down to the ground and grab a bit of dinner before heading back to their comfy nests for the night.  They are so brightly colored and when they fly you see bright flashes of blue out our windows.

This was Mr. Tide's favorite photo that he took.  It's out of focus but it shows you how cool these little birds look as they dart around our property and that of our neighbor.

And speaking of bird brains, I was in bed and watching a program last night about the intelligence levels of different animals.  It was really fascinating and further confirmed much of what I've always believed, that we are not the only intelligent animals on this planet.  The show featured how an octopus can completely change it's color, shape, and texture within seconds to mimic almost any surrounding.  They showed an octopus on a piece of coral, and you absolutely could not tell the difference between it and the coral until it moved on to mimic yet another thing on the floor of the ocean!  I knew they could change color, but I had no idea that they could change their actual shape and texture as well, it was amazing!

Before I turned it off and headed to bed they did a piece on Alex the talking African Grey Parrot.  Alex was the constant companion of a scientist who picked him randomly from a pet store to use to try and show the world that being called a bird brain was actually a compliment.  For over 30 years, Alex and Irene, the scientist worked together, sometimes up to 10 hours a day.  The bond between them was incredible and although I'm not a big fan of seeing animals used for research, clearly this scientist saw Alex as a pet and a companion who she loved, not just a research subject.  When Alex died suddenly the whole world reacted, he received an obituary which aired on ABC News.  So the next time someone calls you a bird brain, just smile and say thank you!

 

Leap of Faith

It's funny how just a few decades ago many agreements were made with a simple handshake.  That handshake was a show of faith from both parties that what they said they would do, they would in fact do.  There wasn't a need for contracts full of unrecognizable text or lawyers to try and sort everything out just so that something could get done.  And even when a written contract was required, it wasn't the size of a book or too complicated for the average intelligent human being to understand it.

But those days are long gone my friends and no one understands that more than me right now.  I've spent the last few days in contract negotiations. The kind where everyone is trying to cover themselves from whatever imaginable thing that might possibly occur if something written as a form of entertainment ends up being twisted, turned, and messed up by someone silly enough to sue.   And of course should someone decide to create a frivolous law suit there will be an attorney more than happy to take their money.

Sometimes these thing become like a war zone with parties on both sides digging in their heels unwilling to yield because it could possibly put them at risk.  So everything comes to a screeching halt, lives stand still, and work simply doesn't get done...and man do I hate that!

Frankly I think everyone hates that.  Who really wants to come to a grinding halt on something they are passionate about?  I'm betting no one really does, not even the lawyers that seem to enjoy the minutia of the written word and how it may or may not be manipulated later on.

Anyway, enough about me and my work-a-day woes.  I've decided to take the "what's meant to be will be" approach.  So instead of getting mired down in it all I made lasagna and took it over to my friend Ms.M's house for lunch today.  I made two batches, one to take to her house, and one to keep here for our dinner tonight.

I've been meaning to update you all on Ms. M, but I keep forgetting, and that's actually a good thing.  You see she has returned home and is doing incredibly well, so I almost forget that something so life threatening happened to her not long ago and that I, along with everyone else, really didn't expect her to be here with us today, much less munching on french bread, salad, lasagna, and heart shaped shortbread cookies this afternoon with me!  So for that, I'm very thankful.  And because her son and daughter in law took a leap of faith and helped her move from the nursing home back to her own home, she is happy and thriving!

 

You may have noticed that I've mentioned on more than one occasion lately my belief that you have to sometimes follow your dreams no matter how silly or unrealistic they might seem to others.  Now I'm not talking about spending your children's college fund in order to take singing lessons if you can't carry a tune in a bucket.  I simply mean that if there is something you truly believe you can accomplish but you hesitate out of fear of rejection, or even fear of success, then I hope in some way I can be that mommy bird and shove you out of the comfy confines of the nest.

I'm great at giving advice, although sometimes I'm not so great at taking my own advice, but I'm trying to change all that.  This past year has proven to me that you're never too old to follow your dreams, and that if you wait for the "right" time, you'll be waiting a lifetime, and why would you want to do that?

So today, I took my own little leap of faith.  I was going to keep this to myself, because I don't know quite yet how successful I may be with my little venture, but thanks to an email and some wise words from fellow blogger and creative genius Kelley from The Polished Pebble, I decided to share my crazy dream with all of you.  I've also had wonderful support from Michelle at Emerald Cove, Suzanne of Privet and Holly,  Rebecca of Acanthus and Acorn, Kim of Savvy Southern Style, Kate of Chronicles Of A Country Girl, and Connie of Hartwood Roses.  These women, and especially dear Connie, have given me wonderful support as I chase this dream of mine, so thank you ladies for listening to me wonder, worry, and even whine about what to do lately!

For the last few weeks, I've been working on some fine art photography, the kind of thing you would see hanging in a gallery somewhere.  And I created the pictures you see above and then got up the nerve to send them to a gallery owner, and guess what?!...she liked them!  So after much debate about cost, 'cause it ain't cheap to produce gallery quality prints my friend and these will be on metal, I ordered the 3 photos above this afternoon! 

It was a big investment, but one I really hope will pay off in the long run if they sell.  I may have just created 3 huge pieces of art which will end up gracing the walls of my own home and never end up in a gallery, or I may sell all 3 and go on to create more...who really knows.  But I do know one thing, and I know it beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if I didn't take that leap of faith and see where this crazy road of life will take me, then I'm not really living am I?!  

I never imagined in a million zillion years that someone who has been in the art business for over 30 years would even look at my work, much less consider it (and she hasn't said yes mind you), but I'm glad I was willing to put myself out there and try.  I hope each of you will do the same, no matter how big or small your dream.  I hope you won't settle for "alright," "good enough," or "I could never," and that you'll take your own leap of faith.  You may fall flat on your face, and I might too, but you could be soaring with eagles too...never forget that my friends!!!

Soap Opera or Sitcom

Some days I wonder if I'm living the story line of a drama filled soap opera, or if it's simply a badly scripted sitcom! :-)    I would tell you about the rest of my event filled weekend, but at this point I think you all would really begin to believe that I make this stuff up...oh how I wish!

Don't get me wrong though, I know things could be so much worse!  Look at poor A-M who is trying to pull her life back together after enduring major flooding in Australia, and she's just one of thousands trying to find their way after life has thrown them a curve ball.  And Anne from Fiona and Twig nearly had her house burn down this past weekend, so you see it can always be worse and at times when life seems like it's picking on you, you really do have to stand back and remember how lucky you are!

We all have our challenges to face day in and day out, times when our strength and resolve seem tested beyond the limits, but we somehow muddle through and come out alright in the end!

Today we continued to monitor Mr. Quinn for signs of any problems related to the skunk attack and so far so good, knock on wood.  The vet said to continue monitoring him for the rest of the week, but I'm hopeful he will come out of this none the worse for wear.

Some of you have commented and emailed me asking for the recipe to the magic potion we used on Quinn last night.  It's 1 Quart Hydrogen Peroxide (be sure it's a new bottle and hasn't expired), 3/4 cup Baking Soda, and 1 to 2 Tbs. of original Dawn Dish Detergent (I also read where you can substitute Ivory Dish Soap for Dawn).  You mix it all together (be sure NOT to put it in a sealed container because it creates a chemical reaction and can explode if housed in a sealed container), then put it on your pet, avoiding the eyes and mouth, let sit for approximately 5 minutes and then rinse thoroughly with tepid water.

That's what we did, and aside from some of Mr. Quinn's fur around his ears getting slightly bleached to a lovely shade of copper, the solution worked like a champ!  Phew!

Today was spent doing very little in between napping, and it will be a short night tonight as I'm hitting the hay just as soon as I hit the send button on this post.  I did want to at least update you all and thank each of you for your concern and kind words of commiseration! 

In addition to having a sick puppy last night, Mr. Tide woke up in the middle of the night sick as could be from what we think was the smell of the skunk!  He was the one who stayed outside with Mr. Quinn for almost 2 hours while I traveled back and forth to the store last night.  And he also helped hold Quinnie while I bathed him, so he really got more than his fair share of exposure to the skunk oil!  He's still not feeling well tonight!

We were able to use an oil lamp to get rid of the scent in the house, I have to say that those Lampe Berger lamps really do cleanse the air, so I was lucky to have one for just such an occasion!  Thanks Grace for making sure I had one, sometimes things do work out the way they are supposed to!!!

You may be wondering why it seems as though I've posted the exact same photos as last night.  Some of them are very similar, and one is the same photo, just done in a different texture.  The above photos are ones I just sent off to have made into note cards, they will be minus the watermark of course.  It will be my first foray into selling my photos, and I'm hoping that when I receive them in the mail I will love how they look, otherwise I'll have a lot of extra note cards filling up my junk drawer!

With everything that's been going on, wow don't I sound like a broken record, I haven't been able to reply to every comment and email, but I hope to remedy that situation over the rest of this week, barring any further skunk incidents...let's hope I didn't just jinx myself!

I was lucky enough to win a few awards last week, so I'll be back soon to share them with you!  Have a wonderful week my friends!

Heartfelt

heart·felt/ˈhärtˌfelt/

Adjective: (of a feeling or its expression) Sincere; deeply and strongly felt.

My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who left such thoughtful comments regarding what I should do with my grandparent's dining room furniture.  Reading your words and absorbing your insights always gives me a new perspective and makes me think, and I love you all for that!

I haven't decided quite what I will do, but I have decided to wait a bit and see how I feel once spring rolls around.  That way I will not be making a rash decision, but a more informed one.  Plus, I don't have the money to be tossing everything and starting from scratch right now anyway.  I think this is a good plan.  Waiting and really taking stock of everything in those two rooms will give me a chance to narrow down the look I'm ultimately after.
  

I especially loved the comment left by Nikki.  I think it was a stroke of genius how she and her family re-purposed the crib her grandfather made and how they turned it in to something each of them can now enjoy and cherish!   

So now, thanks to the sage advice I received from you all, I'm focusing my thoughts to ways of making money, instead of ways to spend money.  Mr. Tide is all in favor of this by the way.

I've decided to actually have some of my photos printed on stretched canvas and I will attempt to sell them here locally in hopes of buying a better camera and some new lenses.  If they are well received, than I might open an Etsy store, something I've toyed with for awhile as you well know if you've been reading my blog for the past 6 months.  I think I want to start by not having to arrange for mailing anything, and then if they sell here close to home, I'll maybe decide to branch out a little.

It's scary putting yourself out there like that, hoping that someone else will like what you have to offer enough to pay for it, but if I never try, I'll never know.  Thanks to the support of my family and a wonderful phone conversation I had with Fifi O'Neill this weekend, I'm ready to dream big and go for it!  I swear Fifi has to be one of the kindest and most supportive people on the planet, and to call her my friend is truly a gift! 

So once again I would like to send you, the readers of this little 'ole blog, my heartfelt thanks, for always being here, giving me great advice, and for just being 'you', my friends!

Dream

When you close your eyes and dream of what you could do, what you want to do, what you might do, how big is that dream?  Is it big enough to fill up the room you're sitting in, or do you let that little voice in your head convince you that your dream is silly, so you back it down a notch and try and create realistic goals and dreams?

Realism can be good, all you have to do is watch an episode of the American Idol auditions to figure that out. But how often do you substitute realism for excuses?  How often do all of us convince ourselves that we've failed even before we've entered the race?

My hat is off to those who stand up there on American Idol and truly believe with all their heart that they could be a finalist.  I don't even watch the show, and I'm clearly not talking about the folks that are looking to have their 15 minutes of fame and those who make for good TV.  I'm talking about the others who never make it onto the show, because clearly you know there are hundreds if not thousands who are told no besides those who have a temper tantrum or act so ridiculous that they make it into the final cut of the audition shows.

You see, the shear fact that those people went, with hope in their hearts, and still don't make it makes them far superior to someone sitting on their couch critiquing the ones who do, or worse yet, laughing at those who don't...at least in my mind.  Those people who went had the courage to try, and the strength to fail...both traits I admire.

These are traits I could use more of in myself.  When I dream I will often convince myself, or let others convince me that my dream may be a little too big.  Mostly it comes from within, that nagging little voice saying "who do you think you are to dream such a big dream?!"  And so I go on, knowing that by not trying I've already failed miserably, and then I'm left to console myself by reminding the boastful 'me' that I shouldn't have dared to dream something so big in the first place.

Fortunately for me, Mr. Tide doesn't see those same limitations.  When he listens to my dreams, or chooses to dream for me, there is no fear of failure and there are no such things as limits.  He is a cheerleader of sorts and a very good one at that, which is why I love him so.  I'm learning to dream big, and to take those chances and even fail from time to time.  But to never try seems a far worse fate than to have to brush yourself off and keep climbing the hill I think.  

I hope that from now on you'll all join me.  That you'll let go of insecurities, fears, and negative thoughts and dare to Dream BIG!

I'm Working...Honest

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments on my earlier post about the beach...warmer weather can't come fast enough for this beach lovin' woman!

Ok, so one of the best things about working from home is the fact that you can find lots of other things to do instead of what you should be doing...like work!  It's not like I'm being paid by the hour, so I'm not cheating anyone if I get up and wander around my own home, but when you're trying to avoid work and you're easily distracted, working from home can sometimes be a bit of a challenge.

Today was one of those days, the kind where I had lots to do, but just when I was ready to be productive I looked around and saw my camera sitting there all lonely and well...I had to take a little "break" and recharge my batteries or drain down the camera's battery, I forget which. 

After all, I had managed to go through every single, solitary Christmas bin over the last few weeks and gather up enough donation items to fill another huge bin...can we say 'too much stuff?!'  I was on a roll last night as I finished up the last bin (I refused to put them back in the garage without going through each and every one of them and purging like there was no tomorrow) when my son said, "you don't have to give everything away mom, you can keep some things!"  Oh trust me, I still have plenty!  So I deserved a little R&R right?!  Just nod and smile folks!

One of the best things about putting away Christmas stuff (even if it did take a certain person until the 3rd week of January) is that you get a chance to see your house all naked.  A bare, more stripped down version which allows us to take stock of what we love and don't love about our homes. 

Now, it 'may' or 'may not' have had something to do with the fact that when I turned on the TV to do my make-up yesterday that that crazy/scary show Hoarders - Buried Alive was on.  I've never been a hoarder, and I truly feel for those folks because it clearly is a medical condition.  But I suddenly wondered if I could possibly star in a show called Purging - 'Bare'ly Alive...get it?!...bare-ly...ok, let's move on!
 

Thankfully for my family, my sudden urge to sell, donate, or burn everything we own and start from scratch had diminished by the time I awoke this morning, plus I had that whole beach daydream thing...see the previous post for an explanation, so instead I picked up my camera and wandered about my house aimlessly snapping photos of little lovelies and pretending I didn't have a care in the world or work to get done!  Denial is a beautiful thing folks!

Much like this disjointed post, I managed to focus on the complete minutia of life and things, this little trick always helps pass the time.

For example, you can photograph the same bowl of jewelry a million different ways and from lots of angles.

Of course you also have to play around with all of the various settings on your camera, that's what they are there for right?!

So there you have it, my handy dandy guide to wasting time while "working!"  Please know that I have researched this extensively over the years, and I assure you that my methods are fool proof!  I would even be willing to offer a 30 day money back guarantee on them, but that would mean I'd have to charge you all for the great advice I offer on here...hah!

So in case you're wondering, or more like, in case you're still reading this post, rest assured that after I snapped this photo of a hat that once belonged to my mother, I did go back to work.  

And to my dear friend Tracey U. who wants to live my life...trust me my dear, it really t'ain't that exciting.  We do still need to do lunch though...hmm, yet another way to avoid work! ;-)

Longing For

This morning as the ground crunched beneath my feet while out with the dogs, I mentally transported myself to warmer climes.  I envisioned myself meandering barefooted along a vast expanse of sand with waves lapping at sun kissed toes and feet with flip flop shaped tan lines.

I could almost hear the pounding of the surf and feel the sea spray on my face.

In my daydream, there were tiny sandpipers scurrying around searching for their next meal, and the sound of children laughing as they built sandcastles and flew kites amidst the gentle breeze.

There were also other sounds and smells, like hot dogs cooking, charcoal, and lighter fluid.  And the hypnotic combination of salt air and sunscreen.

Of course my delusional state of bliss was quickly interrupted as I emerged from the woods and realized it truly 'was' as cold as I thought it was, and I really was as bundled up as any human being could possibly be.

But a girl can still dream right, and she can still long for all of those things I mentioned above!

In my post hypnotic state I completely forgot to note each and every texture I used, sorry, but they are all from the following sources and in no particular order.

Florabella

Pareeerica

Sterling Silverr

Playing with Brushes

Kim Klassen

Shadowhouse Creations

A Quiet Morning

First, I want to let you all know that Miss Kylee loved her birthday wishes and thanks all of you for making her 10th birthday a special one!

The past several days have been stressful ones at my house, sometime when I'm not trying to dig my way out of all I have to do, I'll share with you how difficult it can be to settle an estate.  Thankfully my sister "M" and I see eye to eye on what needs to be done in order to sell my parent's house, and we work together to get those things done, but we aren't the ones in control, so it's a lot like driving from the back of a bus which is barreling headlong toward a very large cliff!

(Texture4Layers - 5 by mG ArtStudio)

On Saturday evening, Mr. Tide and I found ourselves alone, since our son Bugs had gone to visit his sister Angelfish for the weekend.

After photographing a group of therapy dogs, plus a pot belly pig, and their handlers for a magazine story in the early afternoon, I asked Mr. Tide if he wanted to go on a date.  It had been awhile since we had been on a date that didn't involve a trip to Target followed by dinner at Panera, so he agreed that we were long overdue for a nice quiet dinner with just the two of us.

I knew right away where we should try and go, and phoned up the restaurant to make reservations for 7:15.  It's actually a small tea room located in a local antiques center, and it's called Cahil's Cafe.  The tea room itself has had several owners over the years, some good, some not so good, so when my daughter and I visited the restaurant for lunch a few months ago I wasn't really expecting that much, besides a good pot of tea.

It turns out that in between the last time I had visited nearly 8 months before and my lunch in late November, a new owner had taken over and it happened to be a woman I know.  Her name is Tammy, and she is not only a sweet person, but also a wonderful cook and caterer!  I ordered the chicken pot pie and it was to die for!  Everything about this chicken pot pie, from the delicate cream sauce, to the large chunks of white meat chicken all topped with a delectable buttery crust had me licking my lips and savoring every bite.

(My 2econd Skin - Shadowhouse Creations Old Post Card)

So last night, when the opportunity arose to go out to eat on one of the coldest evenings we've had all winter, I had pot pie on the brain, and not just any pot pie, but one from Cahil's Cafe!   Now in case you are wondering if this is a hugely biased review, please know that I only know Tammy because she used to work at several local stores that I've frequented for years, so we have no other connection except for the fact that she has me addicted to her chicken pot pie!

There are lots of yummy things on the menu at Cahil's, but last night I convinced Mr. Tide to trust me on this one and to order the pot pie as well, since it was his first time visiting the restaurant.  He did and was instantly hooked as well.  We both enjoyed a fresh green salad with homemade dressing, homemade rolls, and that delicious pot pie, which was perfect for such a cold evening.  Our server was originally from the UK, and as I sipped my hot tea and listened to her wonderful accent, for a moment I felt as though I had been transported back to York, England for a lovely evening in a quaint tea room...sigh!

When it came time for dessert, we looked at one another and said that we were both way too full and satisfied to push ourselves from bliss to gluttony, so we took a pass.  We did however ask if they had any fresh made scones that we could take home and save for Sunday morning's breakfast.

So this morning, after such a stressful couple of days, I woke up to this yumminess!  I made myself a cup of tea while Mr. Tide warmed the scones, then I dolloped a generous amount of cream and lemon curd onto a plate and the two of us sat down to enjoy a quiet breakfast filled with idle chit chat and lots of mumbled M'm, M'm, good because these were truly delicioso!  

Mr. Tide has never been big on scones, lemon curd, or the whole tea thing, but I think I've made him a believer after this morning!  And I know it won't take any arm twisting to get him to go back to Cahil's Cafe for another yummy pot pie, I just hope it doesn't take us 2 months before we go again!

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods today!