Hatterday!

“All human beings 

have three lives: 

public, private, and secret.”

― Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

Taking photos in low light

makes for sallow skin tones

and an image that isn't very sharp.


Here in my cowgirl hat

celebrating "hatterday"

and thinking on this quote.

And in some ways, I think it's true for

many people.

BTW:  This is my secret life.

B&W

"What I like about black and white photographs

is that they're more like reading the book

than seeing the movie."

Black and White photos are so appealing to me.
I don't know who said the quote, but I found
that it resonates.  I love a good book.  A real book,
with paper pages.  My kindle is awesome for taking
on trips, no heavy books to pack, but there's nothing
like a book in print, black on white.

Maybe that's why I like the black and white photos.
Because each person can take something away from
the photo that's of their own choosing!

One can imagine that the hat on my head is bright red!
Or that the light in the window is bright sunlight, or a
gray cloudy day.  Skin can seem flawless, with only
edges and valleys.

Home

“Home is where you go to find solace from the ever changing chaos, 

to find love within the confines of a heartless world, 

and to be reminded that no matter how far you wander, 

there will always be something waiting when you return.” 

― Kendal Rob

Coming home again after being gone

for a few days is always a good thing:

your own bed, your own pillow,

your own routine.  

Sadly it was back to work the next 

morning in too few hours!

Always nice to visit family; 

mom is well, we had a blast doing all

the things that girls do:  lunches out,

visiting, watching movies, and shopping! 

We were good bargain hunters and got

many bargains!  My suitcase was stuffed

twice as full as when I left!  Thank goodness

when I pack, I pack light.  I keep essentials,

a few clothes and a spare pair of tennies

so those things don't take up room in my bag.

It's weird going 'home' - my parents have lived

in the same house since 1966.  When I'm home,

I feel like the girl I used to be.  And yet, I'm the

grown up and take care of mom.... 

going home can be a strange feeling,

and one I wouldn't change - ever! 

Play Around

“Beauty shouldn’t be about changing yourself

to achieve an ideal or be more socially acceptable.

Real beauty, the interesting, truly pleasing kind,

is about honoring the beauty within you and without you.

It’s about knowing that someone else’s definition of pretty has no hold over you.”

― Golda Poretsky

Here's the last photo from the
morning I spent playing with
a pinhole photography type thing
only I used a box.  Makes an odd
kind of frame, but it's always fun
to play around!

No postings for a few days as
I'll be out of town, visiting my mom.
Hope your weekend is happy!

Happy Heart Day!

Enjoy every single moment:

the good, the bad, the beautiful,

the ugly, the inspiring,

the not-so-glamorous moments,

and be thankful through it all! 

Didn't get around to posting

my Valentine wishes to you

on Valentine's Day ..... 

suffice it to say it was a gorgeous

day here in the Valley of the Sun

and I was out enjoy it! 

My first cactus blooms have begun

to appear, that means it's SPRING -

this is what I've been waiting for! 

Practice, Practice, Practice

I am not a "girly girl", not the type
to spend hours fixing hair and makeup.
I'm more the "what you see is what you get"
type of gal.  I wear jeans and polo shirts to
work, along with tennis shoes.

And yet I find myself with a dilemma.
I have my daughter's wedding to attend
in April - wearing a dress, pantyhose and
heels.  So my mission has begun:
I need to practice these things! 

Today I sucked it down, and climbed into
a skirt for my bi monthly trek into a
salon where I get my hair done up.
I tend to observe rather than participate
in the rest of the women who chatter
back and forth about things that quite
honestly are sometimes over my head!
I'm certainly not "up" on the hip vernacular
nor about current topics or celebrities!

Despite my efforts, I still find it hard to believe
that women do this on a regular basis -- and worse
that some of them actually enjoy it!  *smh*

Ok, some of this is 'tongue in cheek', and I don't
think there's anything wrong with being a 'girly girl',
it's just that there are so many other things in this
world that capture my attention.

But Erin does a fabulous job on my hair!

Sunshine

Spring's sunshine

is the best antidote

to winter's blues! 

It's Friday!

Life should not only be lived

it should be celebrated!

-Osho

It's Friday, the weekend is here

so I dashed into the backyard

to enjoy the cool morning air

and the rising sun! 

Walking

After a day's walk 

everything has twice its usual value. 

~George Macauley Trevelyan

After our evening walk,
Sadie and I sat in the
front window and gazed out....
watching others walking past.

Bubbles

Whenever I use this little cut-out
I always thing of bubbles ---
and the phrase "Calgon, take me away!"

Be Strong

When you go

through hardships

and decide not to surrender,

that is strength.














Be strong.  People say that often, usually in times when
there doesn't seem to be anything else to say.  But it's a
good phrase.  There are some days where turning around,
crawling back into bed and curling up seems like the
better idea...  That's when it's time to Be Strong.
Move forward and complete the tasks at hand,
the next steps are important too.

I struggle some days;  smiling at everyone seems like
too much work.  When that happens, one of my "go to"
tasks is to take a walk, get physical, get the muscles
warmed up, the heart pumping just a little harder.
A little bit of music along the way can help, too.

Sometimes that's all it takes to get thru the next few
hours, the rest of the day.  And hopefully, a little
stronger to face the next day as well.

If you're like me, you hide these "dark thoughts".
People who see me don't know the struggles,
and that's ok.  I'd rather they didn't.
But they're there from time to time.

Spriiiing!

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: 

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, 

prosperity would not be so welcome."

― Anne Bradstreet,

Celebrating a wonderful spring day 

here in the Valley of the Sun.

Sadie and I took our walk and 

it's as if all the trees suddenly 

burst their buds, 

welcoming the warmth 

as much as she and I !!

Just Jeans

I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: 

the most spectacular, the most practical, 

the most relaxed and nonchalant. 

They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity

- all I hope for in my clothes.

Yves Saint Laurent

Someone said

"Denim is a way of life"

and to be frank, it's my

go-to nearly every day.

Nothing else says comfort and ease

(and who doesn't love all the pockets!) 

Just sportin' an old comfy pair on this

Superbowl Sunday while I zip around

getting chores done. 

If you're into the game, 

I hope your team wins! 

Ahhh-Chooo

been down with a cold for the

past three days.....

even Sadie felt sorry for me!

lol

Temps in the Valley of the Sun

have been downright chilly

for us "desert dwellers".

Scraping ice off my windshield

is not my idea of fun!

Hurry up, Spring!

We're ready for you!

Never Stop Fighting

“To be nobody but yourself 

in a world that’s doing its best 

to make you somebody else, 

is to fight the hardest battle 

you are ever going to fight. 

Never stop fighting.” 

– e. e. cummings

I find that when I stop fighting

to find my own self, my own way, 

is when things start to turn - and not

in a good way.  When I let my guard

down, when I stop fighting off the 

negative, it's very easy to wallow.

It's like stepping into a lake with a

very muddy bottom.  If you just stand

still, you feel yourself start to sink,

become mired down.  

Sometimes life is like that, too.  

Never stop fighting.

Acceptance

 “The most terrifying thing 

is to accept oneself completely.”

– C. G. Jung