Taking Pictures

Grandpa's truck filled with
lovely grand children!

Tatum and McKinley

Oh, it was a great idea, to get the family together and take pictures.  Probably the last time that happened was for Trisha and Bill's wedding, eleven years ago.  It seems every time we talked about a photo session, something would happen and we'd put it off until later.

Kellen and Aidan

Yesterday, April 23, 2011, it happened.  Trisha, our coordinator, found the photographer and with much difficulty, a date and time was agreed upon.  Everyone was to gather for outdoor pictures at our house at ten thirty in the morning.  I have to say, even though everyone agreed, it doesn't mean they were thrilled about it!  We all seem to have this "thing" about having our pictures taken. 

Caitlyn and Elizabeth

None of us considered that we would have excessive amounts of rain for the month of April.  Our yard was so squishy wet, only nest building robins and ducks would enjoy being out there!  Weather forecast for the date and time was calling for more rain, right up until Friday night.  Then out of nowhere, it changed, suppose to be a break in the rain between 8am and the afternoon.  Looking good for pictures.  We had to change locations, something less muddy, it was decided to go to the gardens around the Village Artisans shop in Yellow Springs.  Oh dear, more protests, the threat of the event being cancelled was big! 

Finally the moment came, the family gathered, everyone looked as fresh as spring itself, everyone smiled, no small children had meltdowns, and no muddy shoes.  I was very happy it all worked out, I love that our children and grandchildren have now recorded the moment to history for future generations.

I Wanna' "Do Over"

Redbuds blooming.....

I wanna go back to bed and start the day again!  Who would have guessed when I awoke to sparkling sunshine it would be such a challenging day.  First and probably the worst was having a 9am appointment to have the car serviced.  I have no one to blame but myself, I made the appointment, I wanted to get my running done in the morning.  I'd planned on a trip to the grocery afterwards. 

Who would have thought there would be three cars ahead of me when I pulled into line at the dealership!  Strangely enough it took less time than normally, so you never really know..........  I'm getting the car ready for a trip to Florida!  Musical Echoes, here we come!

On my way to get groceries, I thought a little stop at my favorite bookstore would be in order, after all I am still going to get groceries way earlier than originally planned, I have time.  Just stepping into my favorite bookstore gave me an instant "high".  My nostrils quickly inhaled the wonderful smell of coffee, I don't even need to drink it to get my "fix".  Heavenly!  Then of course there are the books.  I LOVE books!  I made it out with only four books and no coffee.   Woohoo, on to the grocery. 

Then it happened, the first snag in my plans, I get to the car with my precious books and start looking for my key.  Guess where I found it?  Inside my locked car.  This is where things start going down hill quickly!  I remember that I dropped AAA when they wouldn't come and rescue me from the side of the road a couple years previous.  They couldn't send a tow truck when I couldn't give them an exact address of my location.  I was sitting along a major state highway between two corn fields, no street address here!  My wonderful husband saved me that day.  Today, I knew he would not be happy if he had to come to my rescue when he is trying to mow before the next six days of rain come.  Fortunately my sweet daughter-in-law was home, she was just in her attic cleaning, she couldn't wait to stop cleaning to come save me!  There was nothing to do but console myself with a cup of coffee in my favorite bookstore.  It was about thirty minutes before I was on the move again, thanks to sweet Tere.

On the road again and  headed to the grocery for particular items, of course I'd forgotten my list and don't you know, it was only after I left the store I realized I'd forgotten one of the most important reasons for going.  Not going back in and walk to go to the back of the store for one item.  I'll go to a little grocery on the way home, run in and get out quickly.  What was I thinking, I go inside, get my item and of course a couple other things and wanted to pay by check.  Oh, the cashier says, "I need to see your drivers license."  I'm thinking, "Of course you do and  I left it in the car accidentally."  As it turns out I didn't save myself any time or steps, I may as well have walked to the back of the first grocery!

Finally heading home.  I decide to drive home the back way, a distraction for me to enjoy the scenery and actually appreciate the sunshine and the now blooming redbud trees.  It was so nice to feel sunshine, starting to improve my spirits somewhat.  I got home carried in the groceries and still think I wanna' "Do Over".  It would have been more fun to enjoy the entire day!

Old Photos

Photos are stashed in our house in an assortment of ways.  I always took such such pride in keeping them organized and then something happened.  I think I would call it life.  A time when having time to do more than take a picture was the most I could manage.  Photo albums have been started, with gaps in time and events and nothing was added.  Oh, I could probably fill in the gaps, if I could remember what box those pictures are in and the dates for that box.  I wasn't very good at writing information on the back. 

I have come to appreciate photos with names on the back.  We recently inherited some pictures from my wonderful husbands Aunt and Uncle's home.  We have seen pictures never seen by our eyes before.  Pictures of his grandparents, of his parents when they were young and cousins.  I see old homes and cars and once again long to get my photos dated and named.

Recently, I have discovered a branch of my family tree that has been hidden from me all my life.  The excitement of knowing I have three younger brothers that I never knew, brings joy to my heart.  The oldest of these brothers has become the link to a lost family.  He is graciously sharing family pictures from our common relatives.  Pictures of grandparents, aunts, cousins and brothers.  These are not just pictures to me, they are a history, a connection to family. 

Most pictures are handed down when there is a death in the family and  then put away until later and others in the family may never get to see them.   All the photos from my husbands childhood went to his oldest sister when his mother passed.  Recently his sister passed away and I don't know where these pictures are now.  Not only would she have recognized many in the photos, she knew stories and family connections, the history.  That information is now gone.  I am making note to talk to my nieces about these pictures today.  We need to sit down and go through them.

All of this makes me anxious...........  will I ever be organized enough to get our family photos recorded with names and dates?  I think I see a future "family project" in the works...........

Our Dog Jessie

I'm a sucker for animals, I have cradled more orphan pigs and lambs than I can even count.  I loved trying to nurse them back to health and watching them thrive.  Later, during my married life I wanted to save other critters looking for a home.  We have had geese, a goat here and there, runt pigs, dogs, cats and even lovebirds.  It didn't help that I worked for a veterinarian for a few years.  My children still call me today to see if I will take a cat looking for a home, or just because I live in the country, could I adopt this dog because someone found it or it's a dog they can't keep.  I won't get on my soapbox about people getting cute little critters and not thinking of them as grown animals, then try to "get rid of them". 

Anyway, when I worked for a local veterinarian there would be people bringing a stray in for shots or neutering.  Many would be looking for homes for these animals.  That is how I acquired Jessie.  She was a beautiful, sweet face, soft eyed, mostly Lab dog.  She had come to this person as a stray in the middle of winter and then proceeded to have a litter of puppies.  She was barely a year old herself.  The person bringing her to the vet was having her spayed and taking her to the Humane Society and they were going to find her a home.  Well, she didn't get that far, I fell in love and took her home with me in the car that evening.  I remember her sitting quietly in the passenger seat beside me, she looked at me with those soulful eyes and we fell in love.

Then next day the anesthesia wore completely off and I had an overgrown puppy romping through my flowers, following me around like I was her mother and running everywhere.  She knew no boundaries.  All my other dogs stayed in the yard or horse pasture, they knew their limits, they had learned them as little puppies.  Jessie had no clue! 

I remember watching her hunt in the horse pasture, she instinctively knew how to point a bird!  I'd never seen anything like her attraction to birds, she would get real still, pick up that front foot and her tail was up and she would stand at perfect point attention.  It was awesome to watch.  Later she and my little Yorkie/cross dog would hunt mice together in the field.  Jessie would smell them out and Gabby would make the kill.  Hours later they would come in soaked from the morning dew on the grass and being exhausted they would sleep the rest of the day away. 

Now Jessie has the rare privilege to be a house dog.  I don't really like her in the house, I like having barn dogs too.  She is just big and hairy and sheds year round.  The little dogs in the house are another story and they don't shed.  It is a constant effort in cleaning and you all know how I feel about that!

One Christmas Eve the dogs went out at chore time with us to feed the horses.  When it came time to come in, Jessie was nowhere to be found.  I called and called.  We walked the road in front of our house in the dark, looking to see if she'd been hit.  Calling and calling.........  Nothing.  Finally we gave up and went to bed, it would be morning Christmas morning before long. 

Hitching a ride is easier than running anymore.....

Next morning we got up and low and behold, Jessie was waiting at the back door, anxious to be inside from the cold.  We welcomed her joyfully.  A couple days later our neighbor came over and sat down to visit.  It was then we found out the rest of the story about Jessie's dissapearance.  Jessie had gone to our neighbors to eat the cat food in his garage.  He'd run her out before and never told us about it.  Christmas Eve she got locked in when he closed the garage door, he hadn't seen her sneak in.  Our neighbor lives a quarter mile away, but on a cold clear night, I am sure Jessie heard me calling.  She proceeded to tear all the insulation off the bottom part of the garage door, as high as she could jump.  She was trying to come home.  Sometime during her confinement she jumped up and hit the garage door opener, door opened and she came home.  Our neighbor, thought he'd been robbed in the night, with his garage wide open the next morning.  He knew when he saw the mess, who had done it.  It did solve the mystery about our stray dog and her ability to "find" food.

She was obsessed with food, she'd eat anything, she'd get into trash, clean the ground under horse feed buckets and eat an entire loaf of bread off the counter.  She was constantly getting into trouble.  When she ate food off the picnic table one day because no one was watching, it was almost the last straw.  She had never learned her puppy lessons about people food and dog food.  We had to put up a low electric wire around the yard to keep her home, it worked and she did become a respectable dog.  Oh, she still has this thing in her brain that keeps her from starving, but she stopped stealing from the neighbors cats and she doesn't take from the tables anymore.  Maybe it has to do with age, she is almost 12 now.  She still has that beautiful face and those sweet eyes, it is speckled with gray now.  She loves her people and she still lives in the house, not the barn. 

Well, she is this moment trying to take down the back door because we are inside and she is outside and I need to sweep the floor of dog hair again..........

Again, I Try to Organize

My brain, blue swirled with layers of
ideas, projects and information!
What Artist Clutter must look like!

This morning I am sitting at my computer and wondering about a blog.....    Yesterday I was looking at my previous blogs and wondering after 201 posts if there could possibly be anything I haven't touched on, wanted to share or wanted to record for a history of my life journey. 

Then it happened, I just had to organize these writings, I have been trying to make a hard copy of them, just because I'm not sure I can trust that my computer won't decide to hold them hostage and never allow them to be seen by me again!  I know, trust is a two way street and yet, I am a little posessive of my writings.  Some might call me paranoid and others would say I'm smart!

Making a hard copy is the last thing I want to do after I publish a writing.  I might be lazy or just tired of sitting at the computer.  Or maybe I'm afraid my wonderful husband is going to "catch" me still sitting here when he comes home for lunch, because I was sitting in front of the computer when he left after breakfast.  So some have been printed and others not.

Yesterday I was afraid the printer would choke with all the paper I ran through it!  After printing the writings, I then had to go through and print the comments, because to save paper I don't actually print the page you are reading.  Another mass of mess came spewing from the printer.

Today, before writing about "Again, I Try to Organize".  I printed a copy of the titles, labels and dates of each blog.  Now I will have a notebook of each year's writings with a contents page and the comments made on each blog.  I feel so organized now, woohoo! 

 When writing a blog now, I am a little afraid I might be repeating myself!  Have I written about this subject before?  I was shocked to learn that I tend to write about the seasons, the birds, the tipi, flutes and my creative clutter frequently.  Then again, it might just be another angle to the same topic.  You know I've said before, sometimes writing for me is an outlet, a processing of "something".  When I have finished writing a blog, it is completely gone from my head.  Doesn't mean I won't write about it again, I tend to revisit things or not remember.  Could be the age thing,  okay, that is another blog for future consideration, if I can remember.