2012 Project 365 – Week Nineteen

I don’t want to say that this week has the most pictures ever (mostly because I’m too lazy to go back & count), but I think that this might be the most pictures ever. I hope you like flowers & squirrels!

Sunday, May 6^th

The State of the Bug – new shades. I lost the screw out of my other (perfectly good) pair & after trying to rob a screw from another pair & use it on the good pair – well, let’s just say that everything ended up in the trash. So here are my new $10 sunglasses.

That evening I was walking around outside on the phone with my dad & noticed this dude at our back fence. I didn’t trust my eyes, but Dr. M took a picture & yes, it really is a skunk!

Last of the Super Moon.

Monday, May 7^th     

All those maple seeds everywhere have started sprouting. The ones in the yard are getting mowed, but this one is in the front flower bed (we also have one in the geranium pot that’s a couple of years old).

Squirrel gymnastics. I give him a 10!

Tuesday, May 8^th   

Dr. M has been so good to get pictures of the roadside wildflowers. All the really pretty places that I see are on stretches of road where it would be a bad idea to try to take a picture.

               

Wednesday, May 9^th   

The Tax Time Pig. And his (her?) cohorts).

Some house finches came to visit.

We had a huge double rainbow this evening! Here’s a few pictures pieced together.

And here’s my stylized version from PicMonkey.

Thursday, May 10^th     

I had lunch with my former coworker S. It’s always fun to get together with her for a little while.

Dr. M took some more gorgeous flower pics.

Friday, May 11^th     

The sheep farm I drive by. They were too busy eating to pay any attention to me – so you get sheep butts. Heh.

Thirsty squirrel.

Goldfinch!

Saturday, May 12^th      

Dr. M took me to a local cemetery (where he got the peony picture from Thursday). Such a lovely place.

Cemetery squirrel!

We have a volunteer tomato plant in one of our raised beds! I saw it the other day & told Dr. M that maybe I’m crazy, but I think there’s a tomato growing out there! And he said, you are crazy, but that is definitely a tomato!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there!

Go to Sara’s blog here to see the blogs of all the other Project 365 participants. Have a great week!

Most of our photos are taken with a 12 megapixel Nikon D5000 DSLR, using a 55-200mm zoom lens. This is the camera that Dr. M takes with him most days. He also takes pictures with our old reliable 7 megapixel Canon Powershot A710.  The Bug uses our new Nikon Coolpix S6200 most of the time. If you’re interested in which camera was used for a particular shot, just ask! 

Homework

Rachel Fox has challenged us to write a poem about a favorite musician or songwriter or singer. I don't know that this describes my favorite of any of these categories, but it does describe a time when music was part of the ritual of my life. After you read my poem go to Rachel's page & read the other poems, ok?


Homework


I sat on an ugly couch
in a room with orange curtains,
laughing as a kitten pounced
on every stroke of my pen.
I was fifteen or maybe sixteen
and I had the 8 track player
going like teenagers do -
Rachmaninoff for
Con...cen...tra...ting;
Captain & Tenille
for math and singing
at the top of my lungs,
"Love will keep us together!"
I believed every word.
Even the ones about
muskrats dancing.

Rainbow after the storm...

I used PicMonkey to intensify the colors of these pictures Dr. M took this evening.

I woke up today with a heavy heart after yesterday's passage of Amendment One in my home state of North Carolina. I have lots of sad and angry thoughts, but I don't need to add my voice to the babble. To read a couple of excellent posts that mirror how I feel go here (Despite Amendment One's Passing, NC Is A Better State Today) and here (A Matter of Civil Rights, Not Marriage). 

A Facebook friend posted part of the lyrics of a Casting Crowns song. Those words really are the heart of my bleeding heart liberal philosophy of life. It's kind of my mantra.

"Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing…
…Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors…"

Rainbows are symbols of hope to me. I have hope that someday all of our decisions will be based on mercy and not judgment. 

Randomization

So last night I was reading blogs & someone posted a lovely version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Very nice (you should go check it out). And that got me to thinking about how I’ve read that “so & so’s version is ok, but nothing matches Jeff Buckley.” Since I’d never heard his version I decided to check it out. Hmmm. Not so much. I like those young ladies in the version above. And I like these guys’ version pretty well. And of course, k.d. lang sings the version as far as I’m concerned. But Mr. Buckley’s version doesn’t knock my socks off.

I know you’ve been waiting on pins & needles for my opinion. Thank goodness you can stop worrying about it now.

I just reread the first paragraph & the word “version” stands out as being a tad overused. Version version version. It’s actually kind of fun to say. Go ahead – say it. Use the Mr. Burns (The Simpsons) voice.

Version.

I feel like I’ve got short-timer’s disease. You know – someone’s about to retire or change jobs & they just go ahead & check out early? We’ll be heading to the beach in 11 days. But who’s counting?  Then we’ll spend some time at the Daddy & Amy B&B. I’m kind of excited about the whole thing.

We had our first choir anthem with our new director this past Sunday. We weren’t perfect, but we killed the last verse so everyone thought we were awesome. Same choir members, but a whole new sound. Turns out that it is better to have an actual person leading the choir. I don’t think I realized just how much we missed our old director, who retired after Easter last year. I wonder if the new guy will have us singing Hallelujah? Actually, I don’t consider Hallelujah to be a religious song at all, so I’m thinking not!

 Here – I’ll let you decide for yourself.

Mary's Smile

image: River Irwell by R.A.D. Stainforth

Mary's Smile

My grandmother

had a smile

deep as this river.

She smiled as she

did the ladies’ hair

and raised six

children.

She smiled as my

grandfather milked

all those cows.

And she smiled

as she asked where

I’d been Sunday night.

Her smile contained

the souls of everyone

she ever knew.

And at night,

as she said her prayers,

she tucked those souls

behind her lips

for safekeeping.

This is a Magpie Tale.

2012 Project 365 – Week Eighteen

I’ve had the best day. Our power was hit or miss for about 5 hours or so, so I closed down my computer & cleaned & read & crocheted. Nice & low key. After a very stressful week at work I was glad for the respite. I was pretty wiped out – pardon my French, but I was in spreadsheet hell for most of the week. Thank goodness the big presentation is on Monday so my part is DONE.

Oh, and be forewarned – you’re getting mooned a LOT this week.

Sunday, April 28^th       

The Weekly Squirrel.

Monday, April 30^th     

Dr. M found these lovely poppies.

The State of the Bug – strangely excited that I can help Dr. M mow now! If you look closely you’ll see that I have water droplets on my top – we finished just in time before the rain started.

Tuesday, May 1^st  

Lots of pictures today. Dr. M was communing with nature, apparently.

I took this picture near where I work – this blooms every year. Is it clematis? It’s so nice to see on my commute.

               

Wednesday, May 2^nd   

A black locust tree on Dr. M’s campus.

Thursday, May 3^rd    

These two goldfinches were apparently having some type of discussion.

Precursor to the Super Moon.

Friday, May 4^th     

More moon shots – I love the progression of the moon coming out from behind the clouds.

Saturday, May 5^th      

Another day with a lot of pictures. I wandered around the yard while the power was out. The flowers are in the neighbor’s yard. I love how the irises are always sticking their tongues out at me – ha!

These mushrooms are in our yard – we have quite a nice crop of them. They grow where a tree used to be in the yard.

Another goldfinch – so pretty!

Dr. M had graduation today. One of his favorite students graduated – and earned one of the highest honors.

Dr. M is trying to do something about the ant problem – they like to make a mess in the crack between the garage slab & the driveway.

Super Moon!!

Go to Sara’s blog here to see the blogs of all the other Project 365 participants. Have a great week!

Most of our photos are taken with a 12 megapixel Nikon D5000 DSLR, using a 55-200mm zoom lens. This is the camera that Dr. M takes with him most days. He also takes pictures with our old reliable 7 megapixel Canon Powershot A710.  The Bug uses our new Nikon Coolpix S6200 most of the time. If you’re interested in which camera was used for a particular shot, just ask! 

Busy busy busy…

I’ve been working on a big project at work & it’s using my WHOLE BRAIN. Sheesh. I haven’t really had time to read my usual blogs. And there’s certainly no brain left to write anything for this space. Of course it’s not keeping me from writing whatever this will end up being.

The other morning I fell asleep after Dr. M’s alarm went off (I get to sleep a half hour more). During that brief time I dreamed that my father-in-law was really worried that I would be late for work. And of course in the dream I couldn’t find the shower – and when I did find it, it was filled with other people. This is pretty typical – except for the presence of my father-in-law, which was quite odd because he doesn’t usually find his way inside my dreams. However, his worrying about me getting to work is typical – he’s a worrier.

I helped Dr. M mow the yard yesterday. Here’s his Facebook status afterward: “Giving a shout-out to my wonderful wife who helped me mow the lawn! A year ago, she was struggling to walk. Now, baby's got a brand new hip! Going to take that thang for a spin, soon, sinking our toes into some beach sand ♥” I used to mow a lot when I was a kid – and at our first home after we were married – but it’s been a while since it was a regular part of my life. I plan on using it for exercise purposes this summer – ha!

We’ve planned a trip to the beach at the end of the month. Then we’re heading to NC to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday. Hey – maybe that’s why I dreamed about him. I wonder if my head will still be attached to my shoulders then?

This cell is merged with

that cell.

And you wish it weren’t

but there it is

so have to un-merge it

so your spreadsheet

will make sense.

And then I can delete

that extra row.

And maybe make the

whole thing a lovely shade

of blue.

You know, if you

make one more

change, my head

will come clean

off my shoulders

And then where will you be?

[Note: I’m grousing, but really I live for projects like this. I’ll just be glad when it’s done – ha!]