Hope Deferred

~moose cookie cutter~

It's not every day that I announce a winner before I even announce a giveaway! We got such a kick out of the "thought bubbles" that we threw everyone's name who participated into the cap and selected one to win a little something, precious little something, from our corner to include this moose here. Hope that you have room for him at your house. And the winner is Kim at Happy At Home!

This is the iconic boot in front of the Fr**port store of L.L. B*ean. We natives must wait our turn don'tcha know. We are usually not going to be caught dead there in tourist season, unless we are showing off our own tourists. So yesterday we thought that since it wasn't summer; since it wasn't leaf-peeping season; since there'd be no snow bunnies; we were probably safe to go. I felt that we were in need of a bit of retail therapy. John needed a new jacket and shoes; I wanted to find something for the grands, and it was certainly lovely walking about in the Home Store. 

~Lobster Handles on the Home Store~

~Beyond the Lobster Handles~

(I'm a bit hestitant about the photographs today for I had turned off my vibration setting while using the tripod and forgot to turn it back on! I guess that will be obvious.)

So what's the title of this post all about? Just last Monday, John learned that the surgery scheduled for this morning and again next week would have to be cancelled. Cataract surgery is now so commonplace that one hardly gives it a thought. We did, though. First it was a spike in blood pressure and then it was a sty. The doctor put John on antibiotics and then rescheduled the surgeries for next month. Sigh. Hence our retail therapy yesterday.

Did any of you see the report on the evening news and elsewhere that bread is the number one source of sodium? (Thanks, Leslie, for the head's up.) I checked our favorite and, sure enough, there it was.

*Surprising source of sodium*

Sodium—200 mgs a serving or 8% of the day's requirements. That adds up with the more bread one eats. I may have to go back to baking my own bread after all! Oh that would take some serious willpower on several levels.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Dr. Doolittle Lives at My House

My friend Donna has a delightful blog at Cottage Days and Journeys where she shares her travel and life adventures. The most recent adventure is of her trip to Alaska to see the Katmai Bears. *This post* tells all about the patience of one persistent bear named Otis. Check out the story because it's such a good one and complemented throughout by amazing photographs. (If you enjoy the story and the photos, please let Donna know.) 

Now Donna has a little device she uses in the telling of her stories where she stops to ask her reader to imagine the "thought bubble." This makes me laugh every single time and sometimes I can even come up with a fun one that gets both John and me laughing. 

What does all of this have to do with my little video? Let me explain. At one point in the absurdity, Molly the Poodle turns to me with such an expression on her little face that you can easily fill in the thought bubble. If you know what it is, let me hear it. (Please pardon the White Balance set to the "warm" setting...the cozy factor is off the wall...and the tv on. I'm learning all the time.)

***

This clock has nothing whatsoever to do with anything other than that I was practicing again and time's a' wasting. One thing about this clock...it's always 3:30 pm on a sunny day. ☺ Oh that sometimes time would stand still such as when I'm supposed to be getting ready to leave. (John's eager to be on the move.)

~my personal favorite~

Oh I'll toss in one more thing I learned. I set up the tripod and camera taking three pictures of the same subject—the clock. I set the automatic timer, used different settings for each photo, and then used photomerge in my photo editing program to create one final photo. It's an interesting experiment.

  

The first three (l to r) are of the individual photos. The final picture in the lower right corner is the compilation. I'm sure that the real photographers out there can explain the reason for ever doing this; although, even I can figure out that it adds a depth of layering and more facets to the photo.

Someday, I'll get back to baking or crafting or something more interesting for more folks. Sure! Have a great day...

Experiments

~willing subject 2~

Bored with me yet? No! Don't answer that. ☺

Bored with my photography experiments yet? Okay. You can answer that one. I'll try to be brief. The sunlight was shining directly on kitty's forehead. I took that photo...

and nearly left it at that. Not as interesting a shot as the first. Yes, there I am tucked under my blankie reading my book. The first is a zoomed shot not a cropped shot.

The days are so much longer now and the light is changing fast. This morning I looked around and knew that I was saying goodbye to most things Christmas. The lights, the mercury glass tree, the cranberry wreath...all gone. This is what I have instead.

A much simpler look with touches of red for Valentine's Day.

Perhaps the more interesting shot... My Valentine from a dear blogging friend still holds up after three years. I adore it! Laura, those apples? As fake as fake can be.

Thanks for looking! Feel free to speak your mind.

Studying

It was an odd weekend. The photography book that Catherine suggested in comments last week arrived. I sat directly down to it with my camera in hand and a willing subject.

~willing subject~

Later in the day, my niece brought over bacon whoopie pies. Bacon? Yup, you heard correctly. They were pretty good. I ate it, but I don't know what's wrong with the good old-fashioned chocolate ones or even *pumpkin.* John really liked them and ate the rest of my share.

So you're probably wondering about the photography. So am I. I have the settings so snarled that I have to return to the default settings and start over. Lots to learn; lots to confuse.

***

Congrats to the Giants fans. That was a rough game for the Pats fans to watch, which was why I bailed at 9 for Downton Abbey. Oh poor Mary! She certainly has got herself in a world of trouble. If I start praying for her, would you please remind me that she's just a character in a story? =) And that little snake in the grass Patrick. That was unsettling. And poor Mr. Bates! 

So did you watch the game or Downton Abbey or both or nothing or something else entirely?

The Problem of Pain

This week, and for several weeks prior, my thoughts have been about pain. Not my own physical nor spiritual pain, but real pain that was endured by a family member until she passed last week and the emotional pain of her family who stood watching. She lived with scleroderma for much of her adult life. Her extended family, myself and others, knowing that suffering was ongoing, were driven to prayer and in our ignorance found ourselves questioning why. Why does God allow pain? Because my mind has been compromised...see the following quote...I recognize that I don't think clearly or see enough to come to grips with such things. I fall on my faith; I fall hard on my faith.