Wordless Wednesday

Here's a couple of pictures from yesterday. These were taken at our last stop and are basically as they came SOOC except for applying the USM (Unsharpen Mask) before I resized them for posting on the web. These are 25% of their original size. This little lane is another place that holds special memories for me. My kids and I used to walk down this lane on our way to the little grocery store by the main highway about a mile or so from our house. I used to drive down it when my son would ask me to take the 'shortcut'.




Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Oh Happy Day or Ginger Gets to Play

Ginger not only got to go with me today so that I could work on improving my photography, we also stopped to play on the practice field at the recreation center. That's one of her very favorite things to do.

We made our first YouTube video to display here on our my blog. (That's enough of that Ginger.. no more growling or you will never get your own blog!)



As you can see, it is nothing fancy and yes, the wind really is that strong here today but what a nice bright sunny day it was for us to enjoy the outdoors together! Both of us got to do something we love!

I'm A What?

I've been collecting the results of some of these uh, er, uhm online personality type things for a while. I see these things at other blogs that I read and I immediately go take the test but I don't publish them at the time for some reason. I've finally decided to just go ahead and clean out my 'drafts' section and post them all at once and get it over with.

Warning: There really is more than anyone ever wanted to know about me and never would have asked in a hundred years wrapped up in a single post of these uh, things.

There's a few things I don't understand though like how I can be a type of shoe and am I really a different personality at 35,000 feet than I am on the ground and how can my latte say anything about me when I don't drink lattes and does anyone know what the heck – is? Oh, I kind of like that lily description... yep, that's it!!! I've found myself! I'm a lily!

What Your Latte Says About You

You are easygoing and pretty simple to please. You don't put up a fuss... ever. You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You're totally addicted to caffeine... but you like to pretend like you aren't! You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are complex and philosophical, but you are never arrogant.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

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Your Personality at 35,000 Says...

Deep down, you vastly prefer being with others to being alone. You love to engage people in conversation. You don't spend much time thinking about your place in the world. You are who you are - and people can just deal with that! Your gift is dreaming and imagining. You can take yourself to another world anytime you feel like it. You are inspired by what is possible. Real life is often too ordinary for you. It's very easy for you to feel happy. You can find peace with any situation.

The Personality Test at 35,000 Feet

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You Are Incredibly Logical

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

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You Are A Clog

You Are Clogs

You are a solid and down to earth person. You seek – and almost always achieve – a really sound balance in your life. You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm. You are the perfect mesh of contradictions. No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life. People know that they can truly depend on you. You should live: In Europe You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

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You Are A Lily

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

Friday Feast #188

Appetizer-- Name something you would categorize as weird.

A member of the U. S. Senate being arrested for doing a gay tap dance in a stall in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis Airport, pleading guilty then claiming he merely has a wide stance!

Soup-- What color was the last piece of food you ate?

Creamy white with caramel streaks and chocolate swirls (Ice cream last night)

Salad-- On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

Some days 10 some days 5 or less.

Main Course-- Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

I will certainly vote for a new president in November.

Dessert-- Describe your sleeping habits.

erratic

15 Words or Less - A leaf or a web?

Laura (make that Lucky Laura) is in Scotland the next two weeks but she thoughtfully left images for both weeks on her blog to challenge her readers to write a poem of 15 words or less about each of them. This is today's image with Laura's written challenge to us below.

Isn't that a cool image, courtesy of National Geographic? What do you think it is? What does it remind you of? Play with ideas in your head for just a minute or two, and then write a 15 Words or Less poem inspired by the image. It doesn't have to describe or explain the image (though it can). It's just for fun--no grades, no pressure!

The picture today is of a backlit leaf, but at first glance to me, it could be a spider web. You might see something different, that's really part of the challenge. Anyway, I wrote these entries for today's 15 Words or Less photo:

Wake Up
The snug little bug awoke covered by a leafy canopy of light.

Bug's Short Story
Bug said, "hmmmm... could be a web, I'll investigate."

SLUUUUUURP!

"Tasty bug!" said the spider.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm terribly late this morning in getting my Wordless Wednesday post up. This photo of my granddaughter Emily was taken the same day as last week's WW post of another granddaughter Sarah. The day holds some very simple and pleasant memories for me. I'm not sure Emily felt the same way as she found herself bored and spent part of our time there laying on the picnic table while her younger sister walked the beach. I think Sarah got the best of the day... what do you think?

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Friday Feast #187

Appetizer-- Name a color you find soothing.

I find shades of blue to be calming. They have a serene, peaceful feel to them.

Soup-- Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.

Sitting on Uncle Norman's lap. He worked the pedals and I steered. I was 8 or 9 years old.

Salad-- What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?

This would have been so easy a few years ago as I lived in denim. Today, I am not so much into denim as I used to be. I suppose my favorite item today would be my leather jacket.

Main Course-- Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?

I'm not so sure that I would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see anyone at this point in my life. Most of the performers I would love to see are no longer with us. The Beatles, perhaps Elvis, still performing would be James Taylor. Quick story -- we had tickets to see Elvis the last time he performed here in Monroe but our son, an infant at the time, got sick and was hospitalized and we didn't get to go.

Dessert-- What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?

I have 24 letters in my complete name, 6 each in the first, middle, maiden, and married -- the breakdown of letters is as follows: 2 M's, 3 A's, 4 R's, 2 S's, 1 H, 4 E's, 3 L's, 2 I's, 1 N, 1 O, 1 G -- the R's and E's have it!

Click here if you would like to participate or to find links to others serving up a Friday Feast.

15 Words or Less - Revolving Doors

Laura wrote the following to challenge her readers to write a poem of 15 words or less about this picture of revolving doors:

Over spring break, I took a picture of these enormous revolving doors at the hospital. I like doors, and these were the biggest revolving ones I'd ever seen.

What strikes you about this image? In vs. out? Light vs. dark? What reaction does the word hospital have on you? Does it bring back memories of healing, of gratitude? Or of raw grief? Death? Terror?

These are the entries I came up with for her challenge today.

Hospital Doors
coming, going;
birth, death;
beginnings circle into endings.


Caught
can't get out of the turning door;
guess I'll go around once more.

Wordless Wednesday

This is of my granddaughter Sarah walking on a beach in Florida nearly two years ago. This is one of my favorite pictures from that day.

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Life Beyond Blogging

I'll be leaving shortly for another Cursillo weekend. I was called earlier this year to be on staff again after just having served last October. It is a little soon, but I think they were in dire need of help. It's a good thing they got me when they did, because it really has turned out to be a bad time for me to do this. However, it is an obligation I couldn't back out of easily. It's a special retreat and requires a lot of effort and prayer. Everything about the weekend is accomplished through prayerful action.

I just hope I'm prepared to spend the next few days with little sleep and lots of hard work and still be able to put a smile on my face for those making this special weekend as Pilgrims.

This also means I will miss this weeks 15 Words and Friday Feast but I'm sure all the other bloggers out there can hold the fort down.

Have a great weekend and I'll 'see' y'all when I get back late Sunday evening!

Wordless Wednesday

Yep, it still works if you know how to wire it up... and I do! The large family bible off to the side was given to my father by his sister (my aunt Betty) and her family, not long before he died. It is over 50 years old.

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

E is for Excellent!

A week or so ago, Mercedes gave me another award. This is my first opportunity to get the award up and pass it on to others deserving bloggers. This one is for Excellence in Blogging. I'm not so sure about excellence here but I'm happy to have the award regardless.

Thank you once again Mercedes. You made my day week month year with this one!

I'm going to pass this one on to Kristie at Not Quite What I Had Planned. Kristie makes me laugh and cry on a daily basis, often in the same post. She's fun, intelligent and down to earth and I admire the way she and her husband Blaine have handled the "situations" that life has handed them.

I also want to pass this award on to Linda, at 2nd cup of coffee. I found Linda in blogsville by chance (probably through Friday Feast or some such meme) and noted that she was born and raised and still lives in my hometown of Muncie, Indiana. Linda writes an occasional column for the Muncie Star-Press and works in youth ministry. She's witty and inspirational and knows how to catch your interest and keep your interest even on topics you're not familiar with and she is also down to earth. You just know she's a person with whom you could enjoy a 2nd cup of coffee.

Keep up the good work ladies. You both make me want to get better and better at this blogging thing!

Two More

** update Sunday am: News story about Ethan Powell from the Shreveport Times.

** update Sunday pm: News story about Emily Lester from the St. Petersburg Times.

It's been awhile since I've posted about any of the children with cancer whose stories I follow online. I've tried many times to back off of the number of kids that I check on continually but it seems that there is always another one that captures my heart.

Unfortunately today, two more have lost their earthly battle with cancer. Ethan Powell, whose story I've followed for over a year, died shortly before noon today. Ethan celebrated his first birthday in December and lived most of his short life with this dreaded disease. His life was filled with treatments that can kill as easily as the monster they are intended to fight but are the only hope or chance these children have for life. Ethan was his parents first and only child and today they had to let go of their precious son. I can't imagine. His parents time with him was filled with medicine, tubes, transplants, living in and out of suitcases in Memphis, Tennessee, either at St. Jude or near it in one facility or another to be near his treatment center. I ache for them. I pray for them.

Emily Lester was an 18 year old young woman who succumbed to cancer early this morning. She had fought cancer from the age of twelve when she received her first diagnosis and succeeded in kicking cancer's butt on two occasions before this last diagnosis came in January of this year. Before January, Emily was doing great, she had been accepted at Duke University and finally believed she had a whole and happy and healthy life in front of her. She was a walking testimony to those still in the battle who needed to see what a survivor looked like... what it looks like to be a winner. Her body gave out this morning but she is still a winner, just in a different way. This morning she conquered cancer one final time and it can never hurt her again. It will however, continue to break the hearts of all who cared for her.

Please pray for the families of these victims of the most horrendous and vicious of all killers... childhood cancer.

On Ethan's site, you have to click the updates button, just below the header, to read current entries about his struggle and his parent's faith.

One more time, I utter the words, I hate cancer!

The Invisible Woman

I first saw Nicole Johnson perform several years ago at a Women Of Faith Conference in Shreveport. While I loved all of the women on the stage and marveled at their humor, faith and ability to touch me in such different ways, Nicole was my favorite. I loved how she used small dramatic vignettes to get a message across that resonated with every woman present. She was deadly serious, witty and funny all in the short span of each performance and she touched me.

When I saw this video, I thought of all the times I felt invisible in my life. When I thought no one saw me or heard me or worse, that no one cared. I thought about my own daughters in particular, as mothers still raising their children and the occasional hundreds of times that my wonderful, yet perfectly normal granddaughters ignore their moms, making them too, feel that no one sees and perhaps that no one cares. It makes wonder how many times I've failed to respond to someone looking to me for comfort or validation and that perhaps I left them feeling 'invisible'. We are only human, we cannot be all things to all people, we do our best.

If you're feeling invisible today, I invite you to take a look at Nicole's video and feel better.



To my daughters, to all women who feel invisible or unimportant today, thank you for all you do while no one is looking, while no one sees.

Woof!

I saw this at Gill's jottings and decided to give it a try. I turned out to be the same as Gill! I thought I would be a cocker spaniel before the test started and during the test I was afraid I would come out as some sort of frou frou neurotic type dog but it seems I am after all a Lab and a caretaker. It fits!

Labrador Retriever

The Caretaker

Your family is what makes you tick, and you never "flea" from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you'd rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk.

Friday Feast #186

Appetizer-- Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.

I don't think I can improve on what Mother Nature has already given us but I think it would be a wildflower, something untamed and unexpected. There would have to be five varieties of course, one for each of my beautiful granddaughters.

Soup-- Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.

James Earl Jones

Salad-- On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?

I would say 9. It's generally free of clutter but Ginger rides with me often and she sheds terribly so there is usually dog hair, a bag for trash and you just can't live in Louisiana and not have smooshed bugs on your windshield, no matter how often you clean your car. It's in pretty good shape for a seven year old vehicle inside and out.

Main Course-- How do you feel about poetry?

Are you kidding? Just check out my blog. I may not personally be a great poet but I enjoy it and find it to be a wonderful outlet. I don't necessarily like all poetry. I like what moves me or makes me think. I like Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver among many others. I enjoy all forms of expression for that matter be it art, photography, music, writing and I envy those who make us feel through performing.

Dessert-- What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?

Hold on... checking memory card on camera. Yes, I thought so! It is a picture of a neighbor's cat who comes to my house every day to play with Woody K.

Click here if you would like to participate or to find links to others serving up a Friday Feast.

15 Words or Less - Robin in the Tree

This week, Laura's challenge is to write, in 15 words or less, about the robin in the photograph below. This little fellow was one of a flock of thirty or so she found perched in the trees covered with snow from a late season snowfall. I wrote a couple of entries for this one. (** 2:10 pm - adding #3) (** 4:30pm - adding #4 which will not be submitted to Laura's site since it goes well beyond the 15 word limit. I just felt there was a story to be told.)




#1
Lonely robin sitting in the tree
hast thou love forsaken thee?

#2
Flying home, thirty were swarming,
All now sitting, wondering,
where the heck is global warming?

#3 (** added later)
The first breath of spring
is greeted by winter's dying gasp!

#4 (** added later - not submitted to Laura's site as it exceeds the 15 word limit)
He sits... shivering, quaking, his feathers are shaking,
No warmth can he find in this tree!
Why did I come north? Why fly back and forth?
Just to have nature play this cruel trick on me!

Wordless Wednesday

These pictures were taken near Matthews, Indiana last year. Indiana has a number of covered bridges, particularly in the southern part of the state. Matthews is in the east central section of Indiana where many of these structures have either been destroyed by vandalism over the years or were lost to neglect before the value of the old bridges was fully appreciated. I know when I was growing up in the area, there were quite a few more than there are today. How sad that so many were lost. I've yet to see a covered bridge where I live now. They may exist somewhere in Louisiana but I've never come across one nor do I know of one anywhere in the state.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating here.

Another Day

The sky outside has been dark and gray most of the day. Right now, it's peaceful and quiet except for the the beeping of my answering machine which recorded a message about two hours ago. I didn't want to take the call. I knew what it was about. It was a simple courtesy call to remind me about the time and location of a training session I am to attend tomorrow morning. I simply haven't bothered to get up and go into the other room to erase the message to stop the damn beep-beep coming from the machine. It's a lazy day here and I have fallen prey to it!

Occasionally, a slight low rumble of thunder rolls through the almost silence and Ginger inevitably leaves whatever comfortable spot she's made to hide under my computer desk. We've had only a small amount of rain but that's still more than what we need. We've been wet for sometime and the ground is still saturated. The slightest rainfall creates standing water as the ground is unable to absorb any more. The sun is expected to break through later today and shine most of tomorrow. A day or two of hot sun will dry the surface up well enough to mow and clear the yards. We've had a brief moment or two today where the sky lightens and we are teased with the hope of better weather but it disappears just as quickly as it comes leaving me with thoughts of napping.

I was treated to a rather pleasant and totally unexpected treasure late yesterday. I received an email from someone I do not know who happened upon my blog by googling something of interest to him. It seems that my blog was only one of very few hits on the subject he was looking up. The email was from a Navy Chaplain who is starting a series of sermons on the Apostle's Creed and that is how he found my blog. Long story short, my pastor has agreed to make a connection with him to discuss how he approached his set of sermons on that very subject which I posted about here in January. The other really neat thing is that the chaplain had just baptized several people on Easter morning in the Jordan River near where my pictures from last weeks Wordless Wednesday were taken. It feels good to make a connection, however tenuous, in this huge world of ours and leaves me wondering once again about coincidence, happenstance and fate. Regardless of what brought the connection about, I wish the chaplain well in his sermon series and express my gratitude for his life of service, through both the military and through ministry.

Now the recliner calls and I am ready to answer... just as soon as I stop that stupid beeping!