Randomosity…

A few odds and ends from the camera this week...

Which means fall is just around the corner...

FIVE RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT PINTEREST...

1)  I was perusing Pinterest earlier and came upon this link to “23Ways to Make Your Piecrusts More Beautiful.”  You know, these days, I just throw the top crust on the top and crimp them together whichever way is most expedient, but this link is truly inspirational.  I think I might try to go back to trying to make my piecrusts more beautiful.  I used to do that stuff when I was young and nutty.

2)  Speaking of Pinterest, I follow a bunch of cat and kitten pins.  I just love looking at cats, petting cats, talking to cats, being around cats.  I want a cat really badly.  Can you tell?  But right now is not the time.  I keep telling myself that.  Someday I might just believe it.  Actually, it is true.  But, I think spring might really be the right time.

3)  I also repin a lot of crochet patterns.  I have so many of them pinned, that it would take me about 2,000 years to actually complete a third of them.  But, the good thing is that they take up absolutely no space in my house and I won’t ever have to recycle them or feel guilty for investing good money into patterns I will never make.  Yes, it’s a good thing…

4)  I am constantly disappointed by the Photography page on Pinterest.  While I keep hoping for art photos, it’s mostly pregnancy, wedding and baby photos.  Nothing wrong with that, it’s just that I’m not interested in those things with regard to photography.  Hmmmm...  Maybe I should be looking at the art page.

5)  It may seem like I spend a lot of time on Pinterest since I used my whole page today talking about it, but I vowed the first time I looked at the site, that I would only go on there once or twice a week and I’ve stuck to that.  Otherwise, there’s the day right there!  It’s amazing how much stuff is on the internet and how much of it gets pinned.  Wow!  And you know how one thing leads to another…

LINKING TO A RURAL JOURNAL'

RANDOM 5 FRIDAY!

Thanks, Nancy!

Beating boredom with peaches...

LINKING TO A RURAL JOURNAL'S

TUESDAY MUSE!

I used Nancy's texture 0332 in processing this pic.  Thanks, Nancy!

Photographic experiment or expediency?

The other day, the Red Sox were playing a day game and I sat down to watch.  At the same time, I was teaching my daughter Carrie how to crochet.  All of a sudden, I realized that I had done nothing for my
Flickr 365 Project and had to do something quick before the light went away.  What to do…what to do?  I didn’t have a clue.  I happened to walk past the bookcase and spied an old dictionary.  I took it outside and put it on the table and started looking for inspiration.

I found inspiration but wasn’t satisfied with just that, so I started tinkering with the dictionary.  I tried one of those “heart” pics that you seen now and then.  Nah, too trite, although I do heart books and dictionaries a lot.

Messing around some more, I thought about a sort of fan or peacock tale.  Still not right…

Then I started fooling with the focus and came up with these.

I picked the second one of the two as my 365 and called it a day.

Now, here’s the funny part.  It’s an old family story of ours about a conversation that was overheard between my two of my little brothers one day when they had returned home from school.  One of them was in the process of learning to read and learning how to use the dictionary.  According to him, Sister Mary Whoever stood up in front of the classroom holding her Webster’s high over her head and declared to all her students, “You know, children, your dic is your best friend.”  My brothers, it seems, were not too young to understand double entendre.  And we’ve chuckled about that over the years.

But, you know, people, sometimes your dic really does save the day.

Randomness…

1)  Since this is random day, I am heading back to Norway.  These are some pics I took at the Norwegian Folkmuseum in Oslo.  I enjoyed the museum a lot.  We live in a town with a similar museum.  Ours is called Old Sturbridge Village (OSV).  It’s a living museum depicting life in a New England town in the 1830s.  It’s a great place to take a little ramble and I don’t go there often enough.  I should get myself over there as soon as the schools go back into session.

2)  OSV was so crowded today that they had to use auxiliary parking and bus people to the museum.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen OSV that crowded since we’ve lived here (over 28 years), but I’m not so good about remembering stuff like that.  Regardless, I love the fact that they are so crowded.

3)  Another place that was crowded today was the new FroYo place in town, “Sweet Kiwi.”  That place has been rocking since it opened two or three weeks ago.  My son Evan and I checked it out today.  Two thumbs up.

4)  Whenever we go down on Main Street on a busy day, I complain that it’s impossible to make a left turn in this town.  I usually say, “We’re going to be here for the rest of our lives” just before things clear up enough for me to get the heck out of the parking lot.  It seems to work.

5)  Last night on the news, our weather guy said that the weed pollen count in Boston was extreme.  That was a light bulb moment.  I thought I was coming down with a cold.  Now I think it must be allergies.  In any case, whatever will cause the weed pollen to lessen will be my new BFF because I’m getting very cranky.

LINKING TO A RURAL JOURNAL'S

RANDOM 5 FRIDAY!

Thinking about the earth today…

Wishing we would treat her with more respect...

Linking to A Rural Journal’s Tuesday Muse.

I used Nancy’s Beth texture when I processed this photo.  Thanks, Nancy!

Some Random Photos & Some Random Thoughts…

I've got the blues...

Pug Cam

1)  I have always thought that I have a problem with summer doldrums, because there gets to be a point in the summer when I just can’t wait for it to be over.    But I am beginning to realize that I get this way each season around this time.  I think I just love the change.  Right now, I am heartily sick of green and wanting the more variegated autumn tones.  At some point in the autumn, I will be looking forward to the blues, greys and browns of winter.  Then, of course, it will be the spring pastels…  While most people’s lives revolve around the sun, apparently mine revolves around the color wheel.

2)  But with the doldrums, comes a distinct lack of creativity, which is why I haven’t been posting so much lately.   I need to turn that around.

3)  I went to the grocery to get a snack to take down to the beach tonight for our regular Friday Cocktails at the Beach.  My intention was olives, pita chips and humus.  I forgot the humus.  As I was trying to figure out if it is worth another trip, Greg called and said he would pick some up on his way home from playing golf.  Yay, Greg!  The traffic is pretty horrible today.  People are getting their last summer vacation licks in.  The Mass Turnpike is a mess so that means there are strangers wandering around our town trying to figure out how to get where they are going using alternate routes.  Bah humbug!

4)  You know, the weather here in Massachusetts has been just fabulous since we got back from our trip to Ohio.  Here’s to that!  Earlier this summer, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend any time outside…not even for Friday Cocktails at the Beach.

5)  I am doing something creative actually.  I’m crocheting two little monsters.  They don’t have personalities yet since I haven’t put on their faces, but I will show you how they turn out.  I hope to be done with them early next week.

LINKING TO A RURAL JOURNAL'S

RANDOM 5 FRIDAY!

Life is like a bowl of onions…

“Onions can make people cry, but there’s never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.”

~Will Rogers

LINKING TO A RURAL JOURNAL'S 

TUESDAY MUSE

The Things You See Along the Way: Rainy Day in Noho Edition…

This is the way the day looked as I rolled into Northampton, Massachusetts, yesterday to spend some time with my daughter, Carrie.  It was raining cats and dogs…well, at least cats at that point and this was taken between windshield wiper swipes.

Because of the rain, Carrie suggested that we park in the town garage that is connected to Thornes Marketplace, which is a shopping center in Northampton that is full of independently owned retailers.  Of course, everyone else had the same idea so we had to park on the roof.  This caught my eye.  Typical of Northampton, even on the kind of grungy roof of the parking garage, someone stuck a “Love” sticker.

While we were sitting and waiting in Thornes for a table at one of our favorite restaurants, Paul and Elizabeth’s, I was taken by the reflections in the newly polished floor…

and by the way the light hit this wreath on the wall…

After a nice lunch, Carrie and I did a little shopping.  I bought some marbles, a coloring book and, duh!, an umbrella.  Though I was sorely tempted by this display, I didn’t buy any of these charming creatures.

Then we went on to the real purpose of my visit, which was to help Carrie pick out yarn for a baby afghan she is intending to make for one of her friends.  But the weather never really cleared up yesterday.

Mt. Tom is somewhere behind that van.

A look at the bumper sticker(s) of the day:

Today looks like the perfect summer day.  But I had a good time yesterday in spite of the weather.

Weeds are flowers too...

I took a ride to another town near here where I often stop to take pictures of the pond -- Quaboag Pond.  Because I am doing my 365 Project on Flickr, I felt the need for a change of scenery today.  While I was wandering around there, I came across this pinkish, purple plant growing between the rocks of the jetty.  It just grows there on its own, so I guess it would be considered  a weed.  But isn't it jaunty and beautiful?  I took a few pictures  just to get to know it a little better.

Today I am linking up with A Rural Journal's Tuesday Muse.

And thank you, Nancy! I used your Coffee Break texture when I processed this photo.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday...

Even though we were on the road last week, I did manage to find something in my files for all the prompts this week.  Here they are:  Body Part, Wednesday, Music, Guess What It Is and Mirror Image.  Here are my entries.

I decided to use a picture of some Ring-tailed Lemurs for the BODY PART pic.  I think they have a lot of cool body parts from their noses to their cool tails and they have they have the most expressive eyes.

On WEDNESDAY this week, we took my mother out to a newish restaurant in Middletown, Ohio, where I grew up.   The restaurant is called Stained and it is adjacent to a stained glass studio.  I would say that the restaurant is decorated in Old Church Chic.  It's beautiful.  And I had a very nice salad...probably the most healthy meal I had while we were away.

Falling water is MUSIC to my ears.  This was taken at the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Botanical Conservatory, a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon.

GUESS WHAT THIS IS?  The answer will be at the end.

I took a MIRROR IMAGE portrait of my daughter Carrie and me in a gazing ball at the Fort Wayne Botanical Conservatory.

And here's the answer to guess what this is.

And here's what I have to say about these.  I didn't get to try these, because I bought them for my sister, but I bet they are good.  They come from the best attraction in northern Ohio after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Grandpa's Cheesebarn is a must stop and see if you are passing through northern Ohio on I-71 and are anywhere close to Ashland, Ohio.  It's a cheeselover's dream and there are many more fun things to sample and buy there. And don't forget to check out Sweetie's where you can buy such delights as chocolate covered Fritos.

LINKING TO ASHLEY SISK'S SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY!

Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo...

A couple of days ago, we went to the Cincinnati Zoo to get a glimpse of Gladys.  Gladys is the little gorilla who was rejected by her birth mother and was sent to the Cincinnati Zoo. The zookeepers there acted as surrogate mothers for her at first.  Recently, however, the zookeepers introduced Gladys to her gorilla foster mom M'Linzi.  It was good news that M'Linzi accepted Gladys right away and so did M'Linzi's daughter Mara.  Together, they have been caring for the very adorable Gladys for the last few weeks. 

Gladys is only out for a limited time for viewing and only if the weather is cooperative.  I was worried that she wouldn't be out while we were in the park, but we got lucky and Gladys came out on time and was out for just a little while before her gorilla moms decided to take her in.  Here she is:

While Gladys was out, her surrogate mom Mara was keeping a close eye on her and everyone in the area.

I got a chuckle when I looked at this sign.  I am sure that the gorillas throw more than dirt.  Can't say that I can really blame them.

 Gladys, Mara and M'Linzi went inside after about ten minutes so we went off to explore other creatures at the zoo...like this cheeky giraffe.

 We saw another blue tongued creature, a Blue Tongued Skink, named Periwinkle.

A very tired lion.

And a White Handed Gibbon family.  The parents gave each other a spontaneous hug as the kid looked on.  It's hard to believe that these creatures don't have feelings.

 

And this Orangutan, Lana, who apparently likes to sit around with paper draped over her head.

 I went back to our hotel very tired but very happy to have spent some time with these wonderful creatures in such a nice surrounding.

THE END