Inspire Me Thursday - Yellow

There is a blog called Inspire Me Thursday that I go to almost every week and I just keep thinking that I will try to use the prompt from that site to spur my creativity. So far, I've done nothing! This week, I at least found a quote that I like about the subject of the prompt. Although I didn't actually create anything, except for this post, it's a start at least.

Inspire Me Thursday

Yellow

This week’s creative prompt is the color Yellow. Be inspired by the delicious hues of lemon, honey, mustard, butter, corn, custard or whatever shade of yellow you may fancy.

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”

Pablo Picasso

I was so embarrassed by my lack of effort that I didn't even add my link to the comments of the post at the site that hosts this. At least my quote is by someone creative! Maybe next week!

Music - Leela James

One of my favorite performers is Leela James. I'm sure her style is not suited to everyone but I love to listen to her. Here are three videos of Leela singing some of her songs that I most enjoy listening to. If you like bluesy, soulful sounds, you should certainly enjoy listening to her as well. All of these songs are on her album A Change Gonna Come. There are 18 or 19 songs on that album and I could listen to all of them (and have) all day long.


Music



Don't Speak


Prayer

Tom Bowen - Grieving Father and Everyday Hero

I cannot tell you how much I was affected by following the story of Ben Bowen, a young boy who lived most of his short life battling a horrific form of brain cancer. His life was ultimately lost on this earth in a most painful and difficult manner. His parents remained resolute and strong in their faith and their desire to honor their second son. You can read about Ben's cancer journey here. More than three years after Ben's death, the site still maintains a regular following despite the fact that it is seldom updated. Ben and his family continue to be everyday heroes in my mind.

Tom, Ben's father, was a West Virginia fire fighter, who became known around the world after the September 11 attack on the twin towers in NYC. Tom was a member of one of several rescue teams that searched for and recovered the bodies of those lost that day from the collapsed buildings. He was the fireman in the photo seen praying over one of the bodies that they had located and brought out of the rubble. Later, when Tom's son Ben was battling for his life against the monster called cancer, the son of the man in the picture that Tom was praying for, left a comment on Ben's site, letting Tom and his family know that he was praying for their son, just as Tom had prayed for his father.

Tom has only minimally kept up with the site that chronicled Ben's battle but every once in a while, I will return and be surprised by an update. After they lost Ben, the Bowens have added two more sons and are now expecting a daughter in December, all joining older brother Elijah, who lives with the loss of a brother he adored. If you visit Ben's site, I am sure you will be touched by Tom's open and honest expression of the pain he experienced, of his clear and determined love for his family and his desire to respect and honor Ben's memory.

On my visit to Ben's site today, my first in months, I found a link to a blog that Tom started that tells of his experiences as a volunteer rescuer at the tower locations. It is also heartfelt and a true memorial to the lives lost on that fateful day as written by someone with first-hand experience at the tower site. Tom's blog is called Live Life Different. I urge you to go there and read what Tom had to say. There are only two entries, both relating to his memories and experiences surrounding the 911 tragedy. It's well worth the time.

An Award - Proximidade!

Linda, from this and that has gifted me with this award.

To translate the gift from Portuguese to English, it means:

This blog invests and believes, the proximity. [meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' -being close through proxy] They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize, and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut, or that they propagate?

Then let's try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to 8 bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.

I simply choose to pass this award on to Mercedes, who I believe to be a blogger who fits the meaning of the award.

Thank you Linda!

National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day

On May 13th of this year, U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) and U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) introduced a National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day resolution in the U.S. Senate. The resolution designates September 13, 2008, as “National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.” The bill was later passed.

"Never before in history has the dream of eliminating childhood cancer been so attainable, yet seemed so elusive. We live in a nation where the effectiveness of treatments and technology offer hope to children who dream of a bright future. Each case of childhood cancer is a very personal tragedy that can strike any family with children, at anytime, anywhere. In setting aside September 13th to recognize this battle on cancer, we continue of our efforts to draw attention to the victims of childhood cancer and the great work of the families and organizations who continue the fight.” Senator Allard from Colorado

"We have made tremendous strides in the fight against childhood cancer, but far too many children still suffer and lose their lives to this illness. The more we know as a nation the better able we will be to prevent and treat the disease and help those who are battling and surviving pediatric cancers. National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day is an opportunity to reach out to all Americans with the facts about childhood cancer, and this day will be an important symbol of our commitment on all days to find a cure." Senator Clinton from New York

Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer and the second overall leading cause of death of children in the United States. More than 10,000 children under the age of 15 in the United States are diagnosed with cancer annually.

Childhood Cancer Facts

Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.

One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.

Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Cancer remains the number one disease killer of America's children - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined.

Please pray for all children who are fighting this monster disease. Pray for a cure and for strength and healing and for peace, not only for the those who suffer with childhood cancer, but for their families and friends as well.

I (don't) Like Ike!

Ike, the hurricane headed for the east Texas coastline, is huge. Unlike the popular Republican candidate for President in the 50's, whose campaign issued buttons that read I Like Ike, this Ike is not liked. He is dreaded. Although I am not under hurricane or tropical storm warnings, the area I live in is facing severe weather for the next two days as a result of Ike's presence in our area. My daughter Dee and her family live in Bossier City, near Shreveport where tropical storm warnings are in effect later today. They could face some serious winds, lots of rainfall and possible tornadoes there. Needless to say, I am concerned not only for them but for all those who may be affected by this storm.

Ike is already making his power known in the gulf as the Galveston, Texas is experiencing flooding as is the Lake Charles area in southwestern Louisiana. Lake Charles does not sit directly on the coastline like Galveston does but is near enough that water from the gulf is being forced by the sheer power of Ike into the lake south of the town and creating some serious conditions for those fine people who live south of me.


Let's keep all those who may be in harm's way in our prayers for their safety and that the damage to homes and other property will be minimal.

Wordless Wednesday - September 10, 2008

Duotones


I took this photo while I was in Indiana at my mothers. It is a picture from a nearby farm that I came across and I simply liked the color of the truck. I cropped a portion of the bottom as it was just a lot of soy beans and didn't add much to (probably distracted from) the photo. I used the result to make a couple of duotones (two toned) from it. I just thought it was fun and decided to share here today.


This one is a blue-gray with black duotone. The blue-gray color was taken from the barn. It turned out to be a lot more gray than blue and rather plain looking in my opinion.


The red in this duotone was taken from the truck. I like this one best.

I enjoy doing this type of thing in Paint Shop Pro. The instructions for this one were written for Photoshop but as with most tutorials you can readily adapt them to work in most comprehensive graphic programs. You can read about this process here: Duotones

I guess this is one more not so Wordless Wednesday!

What Time Of Day Are You?

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

We Have A Weiner!

I got a call from my sister earlier this morning telling me that her daughter, my niece Melanie, had her ultrasound this morning and that they will be having a boy on or around January 21st. The title of this post were my sister's words to me when I answered the phone.

The baby is Mike and Melanie's first and will be the first grandchild for my sister and her husband Bob and will make their other daughter, Morgan, a first time auntie!

Congratulations to all.

I'm just waiting on a copy of the ultrasound to show up in my email!

Quick Sticky Note and Gustav's Effect

If you are here for Wordless Wednesday, check the entry below this one!

Just a quick note to my kids if they happen to read this and if I haven't talked to you by phone, I am planning to head home on Thursday barring any last minute change in plans. I'll try to talk to you all later. Mom

As for the hurricane, I just happened to be away when Gustav hit the Louisiana coast and as the remnants of the storm moved to the northern part of the state where I live. I understand that power was lost in some parts of the twin cities and that there was some flash flooding of streets in the Monroe / West Monroe area, which is not uncommon occurrence there. I am thankful that the storm was not as serious as it might have been in any part of the state and I am also glad that we learned something and were better prepared this time around. I have to admit that I feel guilty about being away from Woody, even though he is being well cared for while Ginger and I are gone. To the best of my knowledge, everything at my home is fine and the only thing I expect to find is that there will be some debris in the yard and that I'll have grass 2 feet high when I get there from all the rain.

Wordless Wednesday - September 03, 2008

*** update *** just a quick note to let you know that I'm having trouble getting the comments pages to load with the dial-up connection I'm on here at my mom's. If I can't get by to comment while I'm still here, I'll be sure to drop by your site later this week when I get back home.

Indiana Sunrise





Both these photos were taken Sunday morning at different locations about a mile or so apart and each are a mile or less from my mom's home in east-central Indiana where I've been for the past week or so. The second one was taken about 15-20 minutes after the first picture. Ginger and I have had a nice visit and enjoyed lots of wonderful Indiana corn and tomatoes and will head back (probably Thursday) with nearly 2 dozen quarts of green beans that we canned while I was here. My brother has a good sized garden and thankfully had enough beans left that I was able to pick and can what I wanted. We're talking about making salsa tomorrow. I hope I can find enough sweet corn to take home with me to freeze. We just don't get corn as tender and sweet as what they grow here in my home state. But then my adoptive state, Louisiana has hurricanes named Katrina, Rita and Gustav that Indiana will never have! And fresh (never been frozen) shrimp... and crawfish... and okra... well, okay, so maybe I'm not a big okra fan but it's there if I want it!

Happy Wordless Wednesday to all! Be sure to visit Wordless Wednesday to find a listing of today's participants.