It’s That Time Again

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Anybody that’s been to my flower gallery has a very clear understanding of my love of flowers.  Something about them makes me feel closer to God, especially when I see them through my camera lens. And it’s the time of year when tulips are blooming.  I think it might be a little early, but then everything seems to be speeding up.  I’m OK with that as long as the rest of Mother Earth is.

I’m making a confession here – when I press the shutter button, I have a little secret thanks for the bloom.  “I know the spirit of life is still in you, so thanks for sharing your SELF with me.”

Today I made a special trip on my way home to get these specific white tulips.  I simply chose a red background and applied a couple of digital enhancements.  Flowers are so much fun!  I think I said it before … they don’t blink.

Don’t forget to think ahead for your sweetheart this year.  Valentine’s Day is only two weeks away!  And for you guys out there, try to avoid the standard chocolates and other kinds of candy. Most women love chocolate and food is fun but it doesn’t last. Be creative.

As always, just click the image to make it larger. Namaste.

Priced as Marked

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Not much to say about today’s photo except that I saw these sitting outside the supermarket where I usually buy groceries and they really caught my eye.  They’re all 20% off.  Priced as marked.

Pretty easy way to get my photograph for the day.  It’s OK.  Some days we have to have easy.  Some days we have to remember the good times and let them stand in for the times that aren’t so good.  Sometimes we just need to focus on that light at the end of the tunnel.  Stay positive.

I’m positive that it’s probably a good thing that we rarely have an earthquake in southern Arizona or these pots would be cracked pots!  Right now I think I’ll eat one of those oatmeal raisin cookies I bought.  I’d rather have some Girl Scout cookies; where are they when you need them?

As always, click the photo to make it larger. Namaste.

 

 

Aircraft Crossing

We live in an airpark, where most of the residents have a small plane (or two) and their own hangar.  I love the sound of small planes taking off.  For some reason, it reminds of the best parts of my childhood.

Neither my husband or I know how to fly a plane, nor can we afford one, but when we found this place, he loved it because it had “dirt.”  Eight acres of dirt and cactus.  So much cactus that if I ever see another one as long as I live, it just might be too soon.  But you know what they say, “bloom where you are planted.”  So we have.  We have come to love living in the airpark and hearing the stories from our neighbors of their adventures with their planes.  One of them even commutes from here to southern CA every day and another to Phoenix.

And then there’s Burt, who has his own helicopter which is really noisy.  And someone here has an ultra-light. I can always tell when that one is around.  It’s even more noisy than Burt.

Living in an airpark has its challenges with technology.  We can’t have cable T.V. It has to be a satellite dish.  Cell phone reception is fragmented.  And there is no piped in gas.  Everyone has a propane tank, but most of the homes are all electric.  Hardly anyone has a garbage disposal because we’re all on septic systems.

But with the exception of the planes taking off, it’s quiet enough around here to actually hear birds singing, coyotes howling, and Harris hawks calling to their mates.  Then at night, if they’re around, we can hear the owls of all varieties hooting like they own the place.  I love all of the sounds here. And I also love listening to the quiet, especially right before the sun does down.

We stopped by the airpark office today and saw this plane.  I don’t know what kind it is, but it sure looked interesting. The propeller is in the rear and it looks like it might be missing the nose gear.  Huh?

And then we noticed the new sign.  When I first saw it, I thought it was a railroad crossing sign.  What?????  The streets in the airpark are also taxi-ways. Like how could you miss giving the right of way to an airplane?   Look both ways!!!

As always, click images to make them larger.

Namaste.

Drop Your Pants Here

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When we lived in Ventura, CA (sure miss that place), we were always going to the local craft fairs down by the beach.  Sure miss that place.  Did I say that already?

I remember specifically buying this sign on a beautiful, sunny, warm day and it has traveled with us to each place we’ve lived since then.  No matter where the laundry room is, DROP YOUR PANTS HERE hangs over it and has continued to be quite a conversation piece.

Fortunately, no one has taken the message literally. Ok, guess I’d better get back to that laundry, because as we all know, it doesn’t get done by itself.

Why doesn’t someone invent a machine that will wash, dry, fold and/or iron the clothes, then put them away?  Maybe it has been invented . . . Robo-Maid.  Where is she when I need her?

As always, click the image to view it larger.

Namaste.

Old But Not Forgotten

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Oh, if only this old door could talk.  Wonder what it would say.  It belongs to my neighbor, who saved it from her parents house many moons ago.  For some reason, when I saw it, it reminded me of the old houses in the Garden District of New Orleans.  I was there many years ago and felt such a fascinating energy as I passed through those streets.

She was telling me that she just couldn’t discard it and I can sure see why.  It’s so much fun to keep items like this and do something creative with them. For right now, it’s going to lean on the mesquite tree, keep the prickly pear cactus company, and enjoy being in the desert until she comes up with a new use for it.

Now, when she does do something with it, I’ll be sure to photograph it again and we can all see its transformation.

As always, click the image to make it larger.

Namaste.

Perspective, My Dear, Perspective

Last night we watched the new show TOUCH on Fox with Kiefer Sutherland. I really liked his series, 24, so I was trying to remain open-minded when it came to this new one.  At first I thought it went a little slow, but as the hour progressed, I realized there was a very clear message being sent to us viewers: we are all connected. It turns out that this show will definitely be one that I record each week.  The series actually starts March 19 (for all you Kiefer fans).

Your perspective may not be the same as mine and vice versa.  But that’s really what it is … perspective and it creates our reality.  Actually I think the words perspective and perception are close cousins.

Today’s images put perspective into a clear example.  Both photos are of the same piece of sculpture.  One is just closer than the other and I added a border to the bottom one.

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Sometimes when we allow ourselves to get close to something – an idea, a message, a person – we gain a new perspective.  We just need to keep an open mind.  As always, you can click the images to make them larger.

Namaste.

The Recipe

While running errands today, I found this van in a parking lot and thought they were pretty ingenious to advertise this way.

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I can’t remember the last time I had a Girl Scout cookie but I sure like them and having some sure sounds good right now.  I’ve always thought the Girl Scouts was a good organization (no, not just because they have good cookies).  It teaches girls skills that they probably don’t learn in school and gives them a sense of pride and community.

Ready for a little history of the cookies?

In 1933, Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council baked cookies and sold them in the city’s gas and electric company windows. Just 23 cents per box of 44 cookies, or six boxes for $1.24 helped girls develop their marketing and business potential and raise funds for their local Girl Scout council program. In 1934, Greater Philadelphia became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies.

 

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I actually found one of their earliest cookie recipes:

An Early Girl Scout Cookie® Recipe

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.

Get out the baking sheets but don’t forget to support the Girl Scouts in your area and buy some cookies. They freeze very well.  I wonder if there are any sugar-free varieties this year.  Unfortunately, the regular kind won’t help with weight loss.

Namaste.

The Beach House

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This is a picture of the sign on our patio. The Beach House … a place where we want to retire someday.  We already have a vision board about it.  If you aren’t familiar with a vision board, it’s a place where you put pictures or photos or drawings (whatever works for you) of the things you would like to experience in your life.  Some call it a bucket list.  I have one of those, too, but this is different. My vision board is a piece of poster board with pictures of various items, like the beach house.  And just for good measure, I put the sign up.  I look at it every day and imagine being in the beach house, looking out the window at the ocean, sipping my coffee and witnessing another spectacular sunrise.

The beach house is a place that provides complimentary sunsets and ocean views.  It’s a place where I can feel the sand between my toes and build a sand castle if I want to.  It’s a place where our dogs can run on the beach, chase sandpipers, or dig a hole to cool off the belly when they need to.  It’s a place where the grandkids can come and stay as long as they like and spend the day surfing, skim boarding, swimming, clamming, or whatever else they want to do.  It’s a place that’s the epitome of relaxation, closing my eyes and meditating while listening to the waves lap the shore.

It doesn’t matter to me which ocean, but I would prefer warm water.  Do you hear me, Universe?  Hint. Hint. Life is good; dreams are free.

Namaste

Diva Daisy

This is Daisy, the Diva.  Why do we call her a diva?  Well, it could be because she wants ALL the attention.  If one of us (me or my husband) is giving attention to Foxy, that just won’t do in Daisy’s eyes.  When visitors come, she looks up at them and barks, like “Hey, look at me!”  But we’re OK with all of it.

Daisy at the Shelter

Every dog has it’s own personality and Daisy is no exception.  We adopted her about 3 1/2 years ago from a local shelter.  As I walked her that first time, she was absolutely perfect.  Walked right next to me and was such a little lady.  She had been a stray and was extremely emaciated.  I could feel the bones along her spine, but frankly, that’s not what made us choose her over the other dogs.  It was the way she cocked her head when I talked to her.  The staff at the shelter had named her Pretty Girl and said she took to her name right away. (Even though she is a very pretty girl, we decided to give her a new name).

The first night at home with us, Daisy and I spent the night on the floor together, separated from Foxy because the shelter said she had kennel cough.  Of course, they didn’t tell us that until the morning we picked her up and it’s very contagious for other dogs.  Ugh!  We decided to take our chances and introduced her to Foxy the next day.  It turns out that there was no kennel cough and they have been buddies ever since that day.

Daisy is very smart.  We’re not sure what her mix is but we know that she’s part Border Collie.  She has that herding instinct but, unlike some other herding breeds, does not nip at one’s heels, which is great.  When she’s running, she’s all business.  It’s so fun to let our dogs run alongside our “old workhorse” golf cart.  We live in an area that’s sparsely populated, so it’s easy to do and they both just love it.  We don’t get much exercise, but they sure do.

Daisy is our fourth rescue and most likely our last.  We’ve decided it’s just too heartbreaking to go through the letting go process when we lose one to illness. Why can’t dogs live as long as we do?

For now, we’re just enjoying being their humans.  They have us well-trained 🙂  Namaste.

A Much Healthier Daisy the Diva

 

 

Foxy

When you’re searching for the photograph of the day, why not just look in your own back yard?  Here’s a shot of our canine cutie, Foxy.  We adopted her from a local shelter when she was five months old. That was six years ago and we have never regretted it.  Well, we might have for just a minute when she ate a hole in the living room sofa and tore off the head of a stuffed white tiger.  Uh, yeah, that’s when we decided to crate-train her.  Whew!  Best thing we ever did.  It got to the point where she was the star pupil of her obedience training class and began to love her crate.  It was her “safe place.”   I’ve always said that if you’re going to have a pet, take the time and cultivate the patience to take good care of it.  We love our canine companions and that love is returned unconditionally.  Unlike the kids, I’ve never heard any of our dogs say, “Oh, Mom, you don’t know anything!”

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When people ask us what mix she is, we always say “the back half is Golden Retriever; the front half is somethin’ and somethin’ else.”  Actually, our vet thinks she’s a mix of Shiba Inu and Golden.  Oh, did I mention he’s afraid of her?  Ha!  Each time we go there, he immediately gives her a treat.  Wants to be her buddy 🙂  It works.

Oh, and did I also mention that Dog is God spelled backward?  Hmmm . . .

Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to our other canine cutie.  Stay tuned.  As always, you can click the image to make it larger.

Namaste.