Being Home

The older i get,

the more i appreciate

being home

doing absolutely nothing.












Never was a statement more true!

I've had some much needed days off

and I only left home once .....

because my car needed gas

and my Sadie needed groceries!

I tell myself "you need to get out more"

and myself answers back, "but whyyyyy?"

Backyard Light

“Wherever there is light, 

one can photograph.”

~~Alfred Stieglitz

It took a huge effort

to bring out the camera

and try for a shot.

It's been unseasonably cold here,

frost every morning for days straight.

And after working many long hard days,

I lost enthusiasm for doing anything

beyond vegging out on the couch.

I'm looking forward to a much better week

*crossing my fingers* 

How's your weekend going?

Spring Sunshine

"She was actually learning to love Arizona. 

The beauty and color and solitude, 

the vastness of it had called to something deep in her...."

Ok... so it's not so "vast" in my own backyard

but still, when I visited Arizona back in 2007,

I felt a calling and knew it would be home.

It took a year to get things rolling, to find a job,

pack up all my things, then load them in a truck

that I would drive cross country, towing my car

behind me!  It was a grand adventure, and 

about the scariest thing I've ever done!

But I did it.   It was tough, but mile by mile

until I couldn't drive any longer, I'd stop

for the night, only to carry on and do it all again

the next day.  It took nearly four days to get all

those miles eaten up.  I lived on peanut butter

sandwiches, pretzels and bottled water, because

I never knew where I would stop.  You can't just

pull up to a drive-thru window in one of these things! 

It was 10 years ago this month when I did this.

Where does the time go?   It's so hard to believe

it's been this long, and yet I feel as if I just arrived!

Good Day!

It's a good day to have a good day!

Sassy!

Sassy:

(adj.) lively, bold, and full of spirit; cheeky








The word sassy

popped into my head

the moment I saw this pose.

Frankly, I'm not sure I could be

considered sassy -- because I'm

more introverted than not.

Or maybe it's that most don't

get to know or see my sassy side.

I tend to keep a lot hidden!

Goodbye, 2017!

Hello New Year!

Sunshine!

Sending you

a little bit

of sunshine

to brighten

your day!












A gorgeous 76 degrees today

in the Valley of the Sun

so I thought I'd share a bit with you!

As for me, I'm tired. 

Work has been hellish

but plenty of overtime!

Which I don't want! 

I'd rather have more "me" time!

As 2017 comes to a close,

I look forward to a bright new year!

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's hoping you had an 

enjoyable day with family 

and/or friends!

Those of us who work retail

get the short end of the stick

prepping for the rest of the world

who want to shop for their 

Holiday gift giving! 

But no matter, I still had a nice

plateful of turkey, mashed taters,

cornbread stuffing, green beans,

covered in gravy along with the

other normal side dishes. 

Sans family. 

But after 17 years, I guess you could

say this is the norm for me.

In the mean time, I happened to catch

the last rays of sunshine streaming in

my window, so I posed just for you!

Morning Routine

Rise up,

start fresh,

see the bright opportunity

in each day










Sometimes, it isn't easy to do that!

I was watching an old Frazier episode

where he describes his morning routine,

he has to shower and shave, have his coffee,

a high fiber muffin, a touch of yogurt and

an untouched newspaper to read. 

If he doesn't have those things, his day is ruined!

And he's finally OK with that part of himself.

It got me thinking about my own morning routine.

I dress and get ready for work, then walk Sadie.

Neither Sadie nor I have a good day when we

skimp on our routine.  It's like having this segment

of things to do, and when they're done, your mind

is fresh to begin thinking and going about your day.

What about you, my friend?  Do you have one, too?

Hot & Stressed

Here in the Valley of the Sun

the summer sun can be intense

brilliant in its brightness

seductive when it sets

casting its hues of

pinks, reds and yellows



So, a little bit of backyard

with a little bit of Gal!






For those of us

stuck indoors

it's kinda like

having cabin fever!

Today, a taste of our first

monsoon - at 117 degrees,

add in a very hot wind

and some clouds that

barely sprinkle.

Add in a very stressful

work week, and yep,

you got it....

a gal who doesn't know what

to do with herself!

Beautiful Things

I just want to make

beautiful things

even if nobody cares.

I'm not sure who said that,

I saw it on a poster.  lol

But it's sort of what drives me.

I'm that way with my photos

and I'm that way with writing, too.


This summer, I'm combining those two

forms of creativity in my home life by

finding 3-4 photos that relate, then telling

the story, the memories, the moment.

Even if no one reads them, it's important

to me that they get written down.

I'm a huge genealogy freak, and have data,

dates, photos and assumptions about my ancestors,

and very little of the stories.

I want to leave a better legacy!

Monday Mornin' Sunshine

Monday Mornin' Sunshine

It's a beautiful day, and lucky me, no work!

Just a day off before I start a long stretch,

getting things done before a short but

well-deserved vacation.

Gonna pop up and visit with my mom and sis,

get a feel for how things are *really* going

because I think I get a lot of 'fluff' on the phone.

Very typical in my family.  lol

I don't know what the weather is like where YOU are,

but today, it just might reach 90F.  :)

Hello Spring, Summer's just around the corner!

(and another hat - done and gone!)

Rise

“And like the sun, 

I will always rise.” 

― Nikki Rowe

There's a country song with lyrics that

describe how I was raised, how I see life.

and while it's been a good attitude, 

it's not very well balanced in me:

"Soaking in the rain

baking in the sun

Don’t quit 'til the job gets done

That’s the only way I know

Don’t stop 'til everything’s gone

Straight ahead, never turn 'round

Don’t back up, don’t back down

Full throttle, wide open

You get tired and you don’t show it

Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more

That’s the only way I know"

Deep down, I'm just a country girl,
born in the wrong decade,
and in the wrong part of the states.

I tried moving, living a more country life
but .... it wasn't something I could do on my own.
To be successful, you need a full-on partner
who thinks the way you do.

I've always told folks
"I'm not your normal, average woman"
Never have been, never will be.
And at my age, I don't think things are
going to change, so I just keep doing.

Sunny Morning

I love early mornings when I feel like a rest of the world is fast asleep 

and you’re the only one who’s awake 

and everything feels like it isn’t really real 

and you kind of forget about all your problems 

because for now it’s just you, the world and the sunrise.

That's exactly how I feel each morning
when Sadie and I take our walk,
the sun just beginning to rise......

Today, an early morning sunny silhouette!
The sun is bright and intense
here in the Valley of the Sun
from June until October.

The sun rises in a different corner
of "east" than it does in the winter
which makes for a good silhouette
in my bedroom window.

Cosmic Forces

Black and white has always

been something to be

fascinated by -

and work with.

The prints on the wall

are my latest addition.


It's Saturday, and cosmic

forces seem to be coming

and going all day.  I was

up early and got a lot of

chores done, prepping for a long work week.

But after, I was heading in to Home Depot

to do some shopping for some industrial pipe

to make a bookshelf in the spare bedroom;  I

took out my glasses and *snap* one of

the arms broke off.   --sigh--  I looked up

and headed over to an eyeglass repair shop.

Sadly, their hours are 10-2pm on Sat.

Closed Sunday.  And am guessing closed on

Monday for our holiday as well.  I'm back to

using my old glasses from two years ago.

Thank goodness I saved them!!!

Hat it Again!

I was awake a good portion of Friday night,

it happens when my mind is busy sorting through things.

Porn vs Art - what's the fine line?

I read an article written by a mom, intended for young girls,

called "I am not free porn".  With the advent of selfies

and the internet carried around on our phones now, it's so 

easy for a person to take a selfie to share.  Her point was 

that guys who ask for naked selfies aren't looking to have

a relationship of any kind, they just want free porn.  

I'm not sure if there was a religious basis to the article,

but it stuck in my mind and churned there, keeping me

awake until after 2am.  

I finally got up and logged in, thinking that maybe it was

a sign for me to finally quit this blog.  And I started looking

at the photos, the quotes, and little pieces of me that I put

into writing - and didn't delete anything.  

This has always been about my art, 

not free porn,

and I intend to keep it that way.  

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!

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! 

Bubbles

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

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 !!