The Hour(s) of Blue

6:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, and:

7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.

"The blue hour" comes from the French expression l'heure bleue, which refers to the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The time is considered special because of the quality of the light at this time of day. ~ Wikipedia

And being the lens nut that I am, I made sure to see for myself.

Mission accomplished.

Gold (or blue) star for Tracey :-)





Pictures by: me :-)

Taken in the backyard Tues. night & Wednesday morning.

Almost

there was a kid who liked a boy
he was too old for her & a friend of her brother
after all, she was 13 and he was 18
the chasm of five years


yet she loved him cause he was kind, he was cute
he was a gentleman, he included her when
her brother said 'no!'
surely he heard her heart beat

but she sat on her porch many a time
and gazed longingly as he walked the neighborhood
with his favorite girl, hand in hand
she was pretty & a cheerleader
maybe he didn't hear her heart after all

then the boy nearly died at the hands of a prank
the kid prayed for him vigilantly, even prayed at church
but when he finally recovered, he was not the same boy
this boy was broken forever, hurt, and very angry
but suddenly, he heard her heart

his college dreams were gone, & in his eyes, so was his life
he took up with the wildest girl in town (not the cheerleader)
they played house together & even had a son
the kid watched in slow motion as her dream
faded

years passed & moved lives on
the kid (now a woman) ran into a brother of the boy
and asked how he was doing these days
'he died 10 years ago' the brother said
the injuries from the crazy prank followed him
all his life

the woman sadly reflected on the boy that she loved
back when she was a kid & dreamed
he was nearly hers



Pictures by: me :-]

Sunday Scribbling word prompt: "nearly"
Memory of Robert ("Bobby") Ortiz

the 10 best

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself." ~Harvey Fierstein

The 10 best things about being me are:

1. there is no one else like me
2. there is no one else who looks like me
3. there is no one else who thinks like me, we can have like thoughts, but my thoughts are my own
4. i have an uncanny ability to make myself & others laugh till they (we) cry
5. i never encounter a stranger. never.
6. i have a huge smile that i easily share - always
   
7. i am blessed to have an autistic son. others may have this, but i feel especially 'appointed' by God
   
8. i am generous to a fault (if someone admires something i have, i will give it to 'em, even though i want it for myself)
9. i have a laid-back, 'everything will be okay' attitude - always
10. i never hesitate to let out my inner-child and let myself play, no matter who is watching

Pictures by: me :0}

Daydreaming on Paper word prompt: "10 best things about being you"

Creativity is...

... opening your mind & allowing your thoughts and/or ideas

to become something real, touchable, personal, special...

or ...

... it is seeing something that some would see as broken, ruined, destroyed

and turning it into

something beautiful.

Pictures by: me :}
Daydreaming on Paper prompt: "what is creativity? how do you define it?"

"Get Free"

Realizing that maybe it wasn't such a "good idea" afterall
The nervous young bride acted accordingly
though all the while
wondering, planning, thinking,
how she could
get
free

Picture: Internet
Sunday Scribbling word prompt: "free"

Golden Wisdom

s

Mom gave this sweet little gem. Tied closed with a silky gold ribbon. Another thing she & I have in common is not only do we love inspirational books, but we adore "little" books. Between she and I, I'm sure we have enough inspirationals to inspire a small country! (LOL!) We can't help it; they make 'em so dang cute that you cannot resist.

She said the images inside reminded her of my photos (as you can see from her note inside the book). I love it. I held it close to me.

Then I held her close to me.

Then before bed, I read it twice.

The inspirations are so simple and logical that I could almost hear her voice saying them to me.

Thanks, mom. I love you. Always.



Pictures by: me :-}

Careful Selection

These are the same roses, only seen thru my lens in a different way. A rose IS a rose, after all :-)

I'm feeling giddy today because I've sent three special packages out to friends.

They are filled with love, happiness & joy. I took my time & thought of each person as I carefully selected their things.

I know 2 packages will bring great joy & creativeness.

The third package is the most special of all as it's going to an elderly friend, who is widowed & lonely. My heart raced as I made up her package and the mail can't move fast enough.

I can picture her surprise when her mailman arrives, and her sitting by her 'reading window' opening the package, and the smile that I hope will come over her face & the joy & peace she will feel in her heart.

There's no high like giving :-)

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. ~Pierre Corneille

Pictures by: me :-} (I treated myself to roses Sunday Morning. Blissful, aren't they?)

"Supermoon"

For most people, we often marvel at the beauty of a sunrise
or the magnificence of a full moon, but it is impossible to fathom
the magnitude of the universe
that surrounds us.
~ Richard H. Baker

In a word: Wow. What words can possibly describe the miracle of the moon? And word is, it hasn't been this size in 18 years.

I'm blessed to have seen this & am thanking God for sharing his masterpiece.

These pictures are courtesy of my lovely, Italian bella, 'sistah-from-anotha-motha', Lisa D. Incredible, no? Thanks for sharing, sister :-}

High on Arrival

Some years ago, my sister, treated me to Oprah's weekend workshop "Live Your Best Life."
In San Francisco.
It was a whirlwind of unbelievable. Flew out Friday & in on Sunday. I was so full of exhilaration & on such a high. It lasted for days on end. Overwhelming enough to go from being at work one day, then the next seeing the beauty of the City. Then the next day, spending the entire day in the presence of Oprah. Unreal.
While my sister & I were trying to sneak pictures that weren't allowed, security asked us if we wanted to greet Ms. Winfrey as she "exited the limo."
Then there she was. "This" close.
The afternoon spent w/2,500+ women (& some men) & Oprah was the amazing experience (besides child birth) ever. O is really the shit; a huge force to be reckoned with, but SUPER funny! And very down-home, like a cousin or something. She kicked off the stiletto's & wore her slippers 5 min. into coming out on stage. By the end of the workshop, it felt like I had 2,498 new friends. The feeling of self-love & sisterhood made me glow.

On the plane coming back home (it was clear flying out - you could see the ground below from Ohio to S.F.; same way coming home), I was SO giddy, I filled nearly 1/2 the journal Oprah passed out (PS: she did give away some cool stuff - I still use the duffle bag.) It was a blessed gift from my sister! For me, that is one great memory I'll not forget. It was the last time I got really excited about something!*



After a week or so, my hyper level mellowed & my life returned to it's routine.

"But that is the beginning of a new story..."**

Pictures: internet
*Daydreaming on Paper
**Carry On Tuesday

This is the truth about me

1. Sometimes I feel inadequate, even though I know I am enough
   
2. I don't consider my job as a legal assistant to be a 'career', even though I've been doing this type of work for over 15 years
   
3. I try to do everything at once (Adult ADHD???)
   
4. I'm an impulse buyer
5. I am still looking love that I can return, wholly, unconditionally & truthfully, even though I've been in present relationship for 21 years
   
6. I never meet a stranger
7. I am open & welcoming to everyone, but close myself off to having close friends
8. I pray that God's plan for me include helping those less fortunate than I
9. Even though my autistic son is now 23 years old, being wholly responsible for his advancing into adulthood terrifies me more than when he was a child
   
10. Some days when I'm in a thoughtful mood, I can go nearly all day without saying a word

"Daydreaming on Paper" word thoughts: "This is the truth about me"

Pictures by: me :-) (I have an uncanny love for sea shells. They are art for the taking if you take your time & look)

Love Thursday: Lilly Love

"Poor, dear, silly Spring, preparing her annual surprise!" ~Wallace Stevens

Today is the first day that it truly seems like Spring is on it's way. The rains have ceased, skies are blue, green grass shoots are peeking up thru the poor, beat up ground, and all of the mess of winter is on display loud & clear. I am dreading the major cleanup of my yard with all the tree limbs from several ice storms, but the end result always makes me feel good & thank God for letting me see another season.

I almost get a giddy-type of sensation in this season for all of the possibilities that Spring brings: my hosta garden returning each year - bigger & better; new plants to try out, hanging baskets to make, keeping bird bath & feeders filled, planting butterfly plants to attract butterflies, wondering how much more huge my Gabriel's Trumpet bush will grow (it took over the entire front & side of the house last year), an organized photography walk (my 1st one - can't wait!), & of course, the new veggie garden. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's my favorite type of work :-)

Random Fact: My dream job would be to if not own, then to work full time in a nursery. Spending every day all day amongst the plants/flowers, dead-heading & watering sounds like full time bliss :-)

The late, great, Norman Vincent Peale gives these four tips for a Spiritual Spring Cleaning. Doesn't a nice 'clean' soul to start out Spring sound great? :-)

PS: Continuous prayers for Japan. I have to say that in spite of their tragedy, the people seem to be the most calm, organized, orderly, group of folks in spite of their pain and losses. They say the disaster is really taking its toll on the elderly (who happen to be my favorite type of people). My heart aches for them.

Happy Love Thursday, all!



Pictures by: me :-) (the "white lily" & the "eye of the Tiger...". nearly 2 weeks since I bought this fresh cut bunch for my office & they're still thriving. Yay!!)

Simple Sunday randoms

I have more snow pictures, but I'm feeling soggy. Rains, then boat-loads of snow takes it toll. It sure is beautiful, but I sure am a little tired of seeing it :-\

Thoughts of thankfulness:

• chocolate fudge cake for dessert & chicken noodle soup (from scratch) in the crock pot. both excellent
  
• thanks to Pillsbury for putting 'Decadent Dark Chocolate Fudge" icing in a can w/a nozzle on the end. So much neater & easier to squirt into your mouth
• "Daydreaming on Paper" for more food for thought
  
• Construction paper as a back drop. DUH!
  
• went to a church concert w/mom this afternoon. I'm glad I fought the urge not to go. It was nice & made her happy
• "Nelson", the homeless guy @ the library, told me he collects stones & has one for me. He didn't feel like digging through his huge bag of belongings to look for it so I told him I'd get it next time I saw him. I'm looking forward to receiving
• many prayers for Japan
  
• spending a solid hour, un-interupted, shooting pictures in natural kitchen light. Well, nearly un-interrupted... why do people have goofy questions the minute they see you pick up your camera? (lol!)
• Learning new camera things & shooting random things on a whim
• Podcasts & audio books on iPod. Blissdom.
  
• a new Gift of Jewels project! Yay! It's always such a chain of love.

Pictures by: me :-)