it matters what you see

i haven't played with textures in a while, so
this friendly poppy is from a week ago, the day before easter i believe.

i can't believe what all has transpired this week.  it has been a week of heartache, courage, and some renewal.

by now, you know of the devastation that has struck alabama, as well as other states in the path of the wednesday storms.  while we are no strangers to the fury that is tornado season, this system of storms hit such populated areas that is was impossible to get out of the path.  heartbreaking stories - stories of courage - stories of survival - stories of the lowest of low (looters) - and stories of generosity.  it will be a while before we dig out of this, but i know we will.

on the same day, my uncle passed away unrelated to the storm and a couple hundred miles away.  it was expected, he was 86.  sitting at the funeral yesterday, we laughed and we cried.  his daughters spoke of his values and his life - memories flooded over me of time spent at their house in the summer.  i will say, the playing of taps on the bugle and the flag presentation ceremony shook me to tears.  my uncle fought in ww2 and the flag was presented to his son who fought in vietnam. 
  
today on my ipod -   heavenly day (patty griffin), rise up (diane birch), hello it's me (todd rundgren), hey leonardo (blessid union of souls), how come (ray lamontagne), hideway (the weepies), hold my hand (hootie & the blowfish), hold on you (jeff bridges), the honey tree (mostar driving club), songbird (eva cassidy)

stolen fruit

iphone - moon & branches

UPDATE (4/28/11):  thank you friends for all the thoughts, prayers and worry about me, my family and our beautiful state.  the devastation of the tornadoes that stuck yesterday is heartbreaking to watch unfold.  my family and i are fine.  however, there are at least 130 confirmed dead so far in alabama.  i mourn for their loss and i mourn for their families.  how ironic my quote from when i wrote this blog yesterday morning.  death is a companion to our lives - it sits beside us ready to snatch us away at a moment's notice.  it makes me grateful to be alive today. 

today from the quote journal:  "live every day like it is stolen from death."  (from the art of racing in the rain by garth stein)

how delicious to think of treating days as stolen fruit without the guilt.  now i'm thinking of the peach or pomagranite juice dripping down my chin...in the summer especially.  or drinking from a hose pipe.  can you imagine living your days that way?  what a wonderful perspective. 

i admit it...there are days that i hum and ho through life.  dreading the getting out of bed and dragging myself to the office and then drudging my way home to throw together dinner.  ugh - who wants to live that way?  not me.

today on my ipod - real wild child (iggy pop), bent (rob thomas), stay on the ride (patty griffin), life less ordinary (carbon leaf), don't stop 'til you get enough (michael jackson), i go blind (hootie & the blowfish), love train (the o'jays), some kind of wonderful (grand funk), don't stop (fleetwood mac)

read this week - bloodroot (didn't like it - i'm typically a sucker for southern writers but this one depressed me and i didn't see a real resolution.  i also did not like the myriad of voices in the writing), a year on ladybug farm (it was pleasant but not "literature" in that i did not learn anything earthshattering or there were no real societial issues)

if you haven't followed relyn's month of passions you should.  today i talk about my passion for music.

one week in a day

there is a young girl in my neighborhood.  most days you can find her in her front yard with her ipod and headphones, singing her heart out.  people drive by and laugh....even my brother laughs.  but still she sings.  she sings like she is jennifer lopez or some other superstar diva.  yesterday, i sat outside listening to her.  and no, she can't carry a tune in a bucket.  but as i sat and listened, i smiled because you know what....she believes.  she believes she is a superstar and i wish we could all be that way.  i wish that we all believed in our superstar powers.

i could take singing lessons from her.

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this shot is from last sunday's full moon...the cherry on top of the very best of evenings.  i loved the way the moon was a beacon through the heavy spanish moss.  it rose fast, almost faster than i could set up my tripod.  and as i got ready, my brother and sister-in-law stood watching its beauty with me.  life is good like that, you know?  or mine is....i have way more blessings to count than negatives. 

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i started another art journal.  this one is much more personal.  in some small ways i like that it's private and mostly very raw.  i've also been on a major reading kick - i went to the book store today and restocked on some new authors that i either researched or are on the book club list at the store.  i've been keeping track of what i've read on a blog page.  i've also given them stars (the more stars the better) but i'm not sure how long the stars will stay.  it seems my opinion of the book changes sometimes.  i bought a fake diana lens from photojojo but so far i'm not happy with any of the shots.  there is no way to focus and it feels mostly weird.
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i did a swap of spring photographs - i'll have to show you the one i got in the mail.  it's bokeh-licious.  speaking of spring, i have to confess i'm addicted to peeps.  i should be very glad that easter is tomorrow before my bum begins to resemble a peep chick.  i'm also rather fond of the cadbury caramel eggs.  *sigh*  speaking of cooking - i tried the pioneer woman's recipe for sour cream noodle bake and it was yummy.
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today on my ipod -   feels like home to me** (chantal kreviazuk), must have been love (pat mcgee band), you can't always get what you want (the rolling stones), wonderland (angie aparo), all for you (sister hazel), breakin' me (jonny lang), daniel (elton john), gravity (sarah bareilles), at the stars (better than ezra), wasting time (jack johnson), where you lead (carole king)

quote of the day - how wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.  (anne frank)


*totally my wedding song if i ever get married again.

pockets

this shot - taken with my iphone is at the navy pier in chicago.   

a lot of things have been on my mind lately - kindness, little irritations, if a ladybug is always a lady or does she get a little wild on the weekends, magnolias and gardenias getting ready to burst forth, the love of a family..........you know, this and that.

i've decided that i can be kinder, slow my pace, listen better and probably even eat better.  i can rid myself of negative thoughts better and be braver.  i can work to notice miracles and good things and not be so critical of others.  i could be more forgiving and patient...maybe even smile a bit more.  dispense hugs more often. 

i don't do all of these things often enough and today i want to remind myself that all of these things are possible...maybe i need to keep a card in my pocket.

what would you keep in your pocket?

today on my ipod:  tell me true (sarah jarosz), that's where it's at (sam cooke), empire state of mind (alicia keys), if i die young (the band perry), i and love and you (the avett brothers), happy (sister hazel), hard to please (the weepies), constant craving (k.d. lang), doctor my eyes (jackson brown), dreams (brandi carlisle)

when good film ....

gets hacked up by a photographer that doesn't know her camera.....and then she takes it to a walgreen where it gets hacked even more.... this was shot on a pentax full manual, obviously overexposed and then apparently there were all sorts of light leaks.  this is black & white film made to be processed on a color processing system so i'm not sure where the blues and pinks come in except that perhaps the processor was not calibrated or the whatnot.  the more i stare at them, the more some of them appeal to me.  not in the hey, look what i shot way but in the weird, bad photography sort of way.