The Last Day of November

Well...it's raining and cold outside. In 21 days the Solstice will occur and it will officially be winter. If you are like me, you will have to rely on memories and look at photos from summer and fall to help you get through the winter. Not to say that winter doesn't have its blessings too, but it's not one of my favorites. One of the blessings are the holiday gatherings with family and friends. Another blessing is getting magical pictures after a fresh snow or ice storm. And of course there are winter sports like cross country and downhill skiing to make up for the lack of warmth and sun. But still, winter will never be my favorite season.
If for no other reason, I hate driving in snow and ice and I hate cleaning my car off.
As I was looking at this picture, it filled me with 'warm' memories. It is one of several that I took while at Catawba Point in the late summer. It is a very contemplative sort of picture to me. I hope you find that quality in it also!

A Day For Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving!
We should be grateful every day but today is a good day to practice for the other 364 days of the year. I often have to remind myself that no matter how difficult things get, I always have something to be grateful for. Sometime I have to consciously think about it, but then I think of one or more things and that puts everything back in perspective. Have a Blessed Day!

Ivy, what it represents to me.

I was looking through a folder of pictures that I had recently taken, for today's post and I came across this one. It gave me a feeling of serenity. Maybe ivy is also equated with tenacity and proliferation. It keeps growing even if you accidentally mow it down. I am posting it because it is a personal symbol for me of serenity, strength and not to give up when things are tough. It will be an outward and visible sign that I want serenity in my life and that I will continually possess the qualities of strength and tenacity. And from a personal growth standpoint, that I will never lose the desire to keep learning new things.

Doggie in the window

Remember that song "How much is that doggie in the window, the one with the waggedy tail"? I loved that song when I was little and every time I see a dog in a window, even if it isn't for sale, that song replays in my mind. I took this picture of my doggie in the window, Faith (husky-collie mix), through my back door window in the summer of 2004, shortly after I rescued her from the Geauga County Animal Shelter, through a listing on petfinder.org and Jim Blum's Folk Music Show on weekend evenings on WKSU-FM (89.7). I love the look on her face, she was watching me take pictures of my patio garden and looking at me as if to say, "please let me come outside and play". I cropped it and digitally 'painted' it and here is my portrait of my "doggie in the window"!

Variations On A Theme

I love the art of collage. Taking pieces parts and making something new. For me, like most of my artistic endeavors, it is a very intuitive process. The process becomes a journey. The journey becomes a meditation. The meditation becomes a new creation.
This piece is a variation on a theme. The theme is randomness. It keeps evolving.

It's time for ghosts, goblins and vampires!

Well it's that time again, ghosts, goblins, vampires and who knows what else will be roaming the streets trick or treating, hopefully just looking for treats, not trying to play tricks. But kids will be kids, so beware! My grandson is going to be a Vampire this year...I will post his picture as soon as I take it on Halloween. I'm sure he'll be blood sucking cute, of course I am a little biased...LOL!
Enjoy the season...I should say seasons because they'll all be here, one right after the other. The time of year to have fun, reflect, give thanks, reconnect with friends and loved ones, maybe make amends....

The delights of autumn!

Pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bisque, pumpkin seeds, and jack o' lanterns. Whatever the sight of pumpkins conjures up, the season is here. I took this photo of these lovely pumpkins at a roadside stand about a month ago when we were up at Catawba Island for the weekend. They had all kinds of good stuff here, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. In the background of this photo you can see the row of bushel baskets overflowing with fresh ears of corn. We bought a dozen and they were so good, especially dripping with the fresh Amish butter we bought down the road at the cheese place. Of course we also bought 3 different kinds of fresh Amish cheese too. It was a high calorie weekend but hey, you have to splurge once in awhile!