Friday Feast - not today!

Today I decided to complete the following meme instead of participating in the Friday Feast. I just wanted to do something different. All the answers to this one are to consist of exactly two words.

Two-Word Meme

1. Where is your cell phone? getting charged
2. Where is your significant other? long gone
3. Your hair? fine, graying
4. Your mother? loving, funny
5. Your father? Elm Ridge
6. Your favorite thing? my computer
7. Your dream last night? no dream
8. Your favorite drink? light lemonade
9. Your dream/goal? happy family
11. Your hobby? digital graphics
12. Your fear? poor choices
13. Where you want to be in 6 years? feeling secure
14. Where were you last night? at home
15. What you're not? rich, famous
16. Muffins? yes, please!
17. One of your wish list items? new laptop
18. Where you grew up?Muncie, Indiana
20. What are you wearing? old clothes
21. Your TV? big screen
22. Your pets? Ginger / Woody
23. Your computer? love it
24. Your life? challenge filled
25. Your mood? ultimately good
26. Missing someone? always, always
27. Your car? Nissan X-Terra
28. Something you're not wearing? socks / shoes
29. Favorite store? something techy
30. Your summer? no plans
31. Like someone? of course
32. Your favorite color? blue / red
33. When is the last time you laughed? last night
34. Last time you cried? last weekend


I spotted this meme at Miz Booshay's and thought it might be fun.

Anyone who chooses can participate in this meme. If this many questions scares you, just do the ones that you find interesting and easy to answer and leave the others blank. Leave me a comment so I can come read your answers, okay?

Wordless Wednesday - May 21, 2008

These pictures came from my friend Scott as he was driving out of the area where he lives, about 20 - 25 miles from where I'm at. Don't ever let anyone tell you that there are no alligators in northern Louisiana.

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

Change Of Plans

We've had a slight change in plans here as far as the annual trip I make to Indiana and then on to Tennessee for Memorial Day. My mother went to the emergency room over the weekend to check out some numbness she was experiencing in the left side of her face. She had a similar experience with this numbness a couple of weeks ago so it would seem that something is going on.

It's possible that she has had a TIA (a light or warning stroke that leaves no permanent brain damage). She was sent home but will have some additional scans and tests run this week and likely an MRI as well. I decided to hold off on driving up to Indiana until the end of the week since we will not be heading to Tennessee as originally planned.

In the meantime, late yesterday evening, I was watching DWTS that I had recorded on the DVR when someone started laying on my doorbell and banging on the front door. I first thought it might be my son but that didn't make sense. There's no reason for him to do all that ringing and banging because he has keys and my extra garage door remote so he could access the house without my assistance. It turned out to be a young woman I know from church who is dog sitting next door and she needed help getting Laddie into her car. She said he was having a seizure or some type of problem and she couldn't manage him. I went over to help and finally got him corralled and near the back door of her car. He refused to get in, wouldn't budge at all so I bent over to lift him into the back seat. I got him about half way in then reached a little lower to get his back half into the car when something gave in my back.

In an instant, I was in agonizing pain. I couldn't do anything else with the dog and for that matter I could barely move at all at that point. Tiffany is a very slight built person and just doesn't have the strength to get a reluctant border collie into the vehicle by herself. None of the other neighbors seemed to be available so I called my son who came over to help. He not only got Laddie into the car but also rode with Tiffany to the emergency clinic to get Laddie checked out. As it turns out, Laddie is suffering from an inner ear nerve problem that is affecting his gait. He walks in circles with his head tilted off to the side. They gave him steroids and sent him home. When my son came over after they returned, I was on the sofa with the heating pad still in agony and very glad I wasn't going to be driving a 12-13 hour trip the next morning (today).

I am simply taking Alleve right now and seem to be okay other than when I sit up straight (so I've really avoided being on the computer most of the day). I can lay down or walk around with very little pain but sitting upright is a real problem. Also, any sudden movement or getting in certain positions is likely to aggravate the situation. I'm hoping I've just strained a muscle or something similar that will clear up soon because I sure don't want to make that long trip to Indiana if I'm still like this later this week. I've decided if I'm still having a problem tomorrow I will go to the doctor, if for no other reason than to get pain relief.

Getting old is turning out to be a real pain, literally! Just a couple of years ago, I could have picked that dog up and put him in the car with no problem and now it seems I can barely do anything without feeling the effects for days. As I sit here and listen to myself whining about the changes that getting older is bringing to my life, I'm beginning to think that aging gracefully is not in the cards for me! I'm gaining a whole new respect for those who do!

If you don't mind, please say a little prayer for my mother.

Friday Feast #191

Appetizer-- What is the nearest big city to your home?

I guess that depends on your definition of a big city. I live just outside of Monroe, Louiisiana which is maybe 65,000 people. The closest really big city would be Dallas, TX, which is about 5 hours west of here.

Soup-- On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

I can keep my mouth shut if I need to, so I would say a 10.

Salad-- Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

My hair is a medium length bob, cut slightly shorter in back. It's blonde, turning gray (or maybe I should say it's gray with some remaining blonde highlights). My hair is soft, baby fine and almost perfectly straight.

Main Course-- What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I am very courteous but I have to admit to suffering from road rage. I hate it when people don't use turn signals or won't get over so they don't block traffic. So I guess even though I am a courteous driver, I get angry and frustrated with drivers who do not afford me the same courtesy.

Dessert-- When was the last time you had a really bad week?

What one might call a bad week is all relative to your situation. We all have bad times but there's always something positive happening as well, even if we can't see it at the time.

Click here for the blog roll of others participating in today's Friday Feast!

Wordless Wednesday - May 13, 2008

(click on photo to see a larger version)

One of my favorite restaurants in Monroe is the Warehouse No. 1, which locals refer to simply as the Warehouse. It sits on the Ouachita River and serves wonderful steaks and seafood. It is exactly what the name implies, a converted warehouse. I took this picture over 20 years ago with my old Olympus 35m film camera shortly after I got the camera. The drive is not accessible to the public. I climbed over a restraint to get to the point where I set up the shot.

I just recently scanned this photo and one other black and white shot I took at the same time of the railroad bridge, which is one of the bridges in the background, in to my computer.

If you're ever in Monroe, Louisiana and are looking for a really good place to eat, I highly recommend the Warehouse.

As for Wordless Wednesday, I'm sorry, I just don't think it is in me to be wordless!

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

Mother's Day 1969 - Where Were You?

On Mother's Day, May 11, 1969, I know exactly where I was... and for good reason. I gave birth to my second child on that day. My little Dee Dee Doll, came into being shortly after two o'clock that Sunday morning 39 years ago today. Like almost everything in Dee's life, it happened on her terms. I was not due for another week, but on the Friday afternoon before Mother's Day, my water broke. Later that day, I started having very light contractions and my doctor wanted me to come to the hospital, even though I didn't think I was ready. By mid-morning Saturday, I was sent home as labor was not progressing. As soon as I got home, the labor escalated again but I stayed put until I knew it was time. At around seven that evening, my doctor decided to meet me at the emergency room, where he made the command decision to send me home again, even though I knew I was well into labor (and no, he did not deliver my third child). Shortly after ten, we were back on our way to the hospital again and this time I stuck around and Dee Ann finally made her appearance at 2:11 am on Sunday morning. Immediately after, my blood pressure dropped and I was near shock but I survived Dee's entrance into the world and I'm still shocked to be the mother of this magnificent girl.

Here is a glimpse of my very independent, amazingly beautiful, extraordinarily talented and quite intelligent daughter, Dee.

At one week with her cousin Missi who was born 6 weeks before Dee.

Eating her first birthday cake!

One of my favorite school pictures of Dee

Taken for her graduation from East Tennessee State University School of Nursing. Dee graduated Summa Cum Laude. And yes, it is okay to brag on your daughter when she is as smart and beautiful as Dee! (My mother loves this picture of Dee. To her all nurses should still wear hats! They should also know how to make beds with hospital corners!)

One of the first pictures of Dee as a new mother with my first granddaughter, Erin.

This is a fun picture of Dee and all three of her girls ready to cruise! Erin is in the front with Dee, Emily is sitting behind her mom and Sarah Grace completes the picture!

Happy 39th Dee Dee Doll!
I love you!

Oh, and for extra good measure, here are a couple of pictures of my wonderful mother, who I will be heading up to Indiana to see in less than two weeks!

This is a picture of mom and her younger sister, my aunt Leah.
Mom's on the left with her eyes closed!
WOW Mom! You were a hottie...

and still are!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Friday Feast #190

Appetizer --When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Almost always... smiling is contagious!

Soup --Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

I have a mix. I have carpet, tile and stained cement.

Salad --Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

My mom makes marvelous meatloaf!

Main Course --Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

Yes, I know several people personally who were adopted into a family or who adopted a child into their family. I also 'know' one amazing family from reading about their adoption online. You can find their story here. It is filled with love, sadness, courage and hope.

Dessert --Name 2 blue things.

My right eye and my left eye.

Click here for the blog roll of others participating in today's Friday Feast!

Wordless Wednesday

PRICELESS!

(This is my youngest granddaughter Kayla. Picture was taken sometime in 2005.)

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

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

Finally

I think I finally have something close to what I was after!



This was the look I was after.



A simple crop and a border frame is all I needed to finish it off!

Playing With Pictures

I just never got quite what I wanted from my efforts.



I converted this photo of Erin from color to B&W. I decided to clone out the straps from her dress in an effort to get a more 'sophisticated' look. I also cloned out a portion of the background that I felt was distracting. I was not totally happy with the results... it's okay but I wanted special.



This is a soft-tint version of the same photo. I left the straps from her dress in this version. I like this one better than the B&W but it is still lacking something.



This is the B&W version without the gaussian blur step and with a strong tint applied after the conversion from color. My son likes this one best and it comes the closest to what I had in mind when I started playing around with it earlier this evening. It is certainly more dramatic than the other two but I still didn't get quite what I wanted from my efforts. I've decided that the back ground is part of my dissatisfaction.

I wonder which one Erin will like the best.

Amazing!

I've been wanting to improve as a photographer... not that there was any chance that I could do anything but improve (although I guess there IS the option of just staying at my current level) as I didn't feel that I could do much worse. There's a sort of power in believing you have nowhere to go but up! So I set out this week to do just that.

What I found was that I need to learn more about my camera and understand the capability it has before I can totally figure out lighting and composition and all the other things that turn a good photograph into art. Yes, just snapping pictures is great and I can and do learn from the hands on experience method best of all. But after a session or two of that this week and feeling frustrated that I had missed some delightful shots, I came home and looked up the things I couldn't figure out during those sessions. Where did I look? Why of all places in the manual that came with my camera! It opened up a whole new understanding of what I was trying to do... AMAZING! The book that made little sense to me when I first got this camera is now enlightening me as to how to make better application of what I have available.

I know that eventually I will have to get out there almost daily and shoot hundreds thousands of pictures to apply what I'm learning if I want to get truly good as a photographer. And like most things in my life, I'm sure it will be a continuing educational experience... read, learn, apply, find momentary satisfaction before the desire to improve hits me again. Then I can read more, learn more, apply more, find more momentary satisfaction until I realize that this is going to be just like everything else I set out to do. No matter how hard I try or how good I might get at a particular task, I will never be satisfied. It is not in my nature!

Perfectionism... bah, humbug! I just want to be satisfied for once with what I am capable of doing! Now that truly would be AMAZING!

Mother's Day Giveaway 2008

Head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom for a chance to win several wonderful prizes being given away by these terrific ladies for Mother's day this year.

You can enter to win any or all of the prizes they are offering by clicking the link above or the Mother's Day Giveaway banner in the contest section of the sidebar on the right.

Friday Feast #189

Appetizer-- What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

One of the things I loved most as a child was reading the funny pages in the Sunday morning paper. The cartoon I remember most is Dagwood and Blondie. I think Henry and Little Lulu were published in the funnies back then as well. I also remember Pogo, but I never understood what was supposed to be funny about it. I didn't realize until I got older that it wasn't a kid's cartoon.

Soup-- Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

Right now, I can't even pretend that I would get another pet. I love Ginger, I adore her, I'm closer to her than any pet I've ever had. I also love Mr. Woody K. Nibs, but the two of them are enough and I can't imagine having another pet if something happened to either one of them.

Salad-- On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

This is hard. Getting dressed up is something I dread. Once I've done it and gotten to whatever big event prompted it, I'm glad I went to the trouble, but I literally hate the thought of having to do it. So maybe a 2 or 3 at most?

Main Course-- What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

I love most music genres, rock, pop, oldies, contemporary christian, blues, jazz. Favorite artists include the Beatles, Eagles, Leela James, James Taylor, Carole King among so many others.

Dessert-- When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

The last clock I bought (as a clock, not one that came with an appliance) was the little one sitting on the mantle in my family room. The last clock that came into my house was with my new coffee maker, which I love, that I got for my birthday. That one is of course in the kitchen!

Click here for the blog roll of others participating in today's Friday Feast!

National Day Of Prayer

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him and I am helped.

My prayer for this day.

Holy Father, thank you for all that you do for us;
for shielding us, for your strength, for your forgiveness.

We are weak, we are preoccupied and we fail every day;
yet in your forgiveness, we find our salvation, our unearned grace.

Help us to heal our divisions Lord; help us to understand our fellow man;
help us not to hate; help us to be the face of Christ to ALL in need.

Guide us Father and let us learn from your wisdom;
Grow our hope, our courage, our joy that we may share our many blessings with the world.

Amen