Songography - One

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

-unless you have a beautiful sunrise to keep you company

Linking up to Songography at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out where this week's song is "One" by Three Dog Night

It's Not Easy Being Green

This week's Songography title is Kermit the Frog's old favorite.  But I think I have to respectfully disagree with him.  I think it's a lot harder being beige.  This winter has provided a LOT of beige.

Even the waterfall looks beige

AND the wildlife

Just a hint of green gives me hope

Spring WILL come!

So, Kermit - you might be happy to know that green is actually becoming my new favorite!

Linking up to You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Signs

The temperatures broke the freezing mark.  It actually got close to 50 degrees!  People were still bundled up, but SIGNS of spring and warmer weather were all around.

Bikers

Surfers

The warmer temps have me dreaming of sunny beach days

Signs of Spring are welcome, because that means summer isn't far behind!

Which means bathing suit season.  Time to put the camera down and grab the sneakers.

Work-out season is here!

Linking up to You'll Shoot Your Eye Out where this week's Songography title is SIGNS by

 Five Man Electrical Band

I Would Do Anything for Love

But I won't do that :

Yes, it's Valentine's Day weekend. And it's Polar Bear Plunge weekend.  There were some minor attempts at arm twisting to get me to plunge into frigid waters in the middle of February.  I will do just about anything for my loved ones - but I won't do that.  I'll stand a very safe distance away and take some snapshots with my iphone.  I will also make sure there are plenty of towels and blankets ready for the plungers when they come running out.  But personally, the temperature has to be about ninety degrees before I will jump into the ocean.  I think I'll wait until summer.  Actually,  I KNOW I'll wait 'til summer!

Linking up to Kathy's Sonography party over at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

My Day - Songography

My Day

a little quiet time

a little reading

a little painting

a little blog hopping

Snow days are awesome

I love when you can just let the day unfold

This week's songography title at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out is "My Day"

(Even though snow days are awesome, I have had my fill this winter!)

Songography - I Would Walk 500 Miles

There are just so many reasons not to.

 I know I started the year off with good intentions.  Not too lofty - reasonable. Or so I thought.

 I would go to the gym three or four times a week.

Has that actually happened?  Ummm....no.

There are always more important things to do - like check out Pinterest. 

 For just five minutes.

It's two hours later??? what the....?!?!?!

I have to take 500 steps away from the machine and get to work on my 500 steps at the gym.

500 miles?  That might be pushing it a little bit.

I would should walk 500 miles

5/52

Of course it doesn't help matters that around my neck of the woods it would be easier to walk 500 miles on these babies.

I'll use any excuse that I can.

Before I step away from the machine I'm going to check out You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

for this week's responses to Songography.

THEN I'm going to the gym.

For real.

(I think)

Here I Stand

(4/52)

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be

It’s funny how some distance

Makes everything seem small

And the fears that once controlled me

Can’t get to me at all

It’s time to see what I can do

To test the limits and break through

No right, no wrong, no rules for me

I’m free

Let it go, let it go

That perfect girl is gone.

Here I stand

~selected words from the Frozen song "Let it go"~

Kathy"s song choice for Songography had me in an introspective kind of mood this week. I wanted to capture a picture of my grown up self that related to the little girl me in the picture at the beach.  There have been a lot of years between those two photos.  A lot of living, learning and letting go.  I've spent many years trying to be the person that other people wanted me to be.  Or at least what I thought they wanted me to be. For many years fears strangled the more adventurous, sassy, bold me that simmered inside.  The me with her hands on her hips, looking at the world head-on, confident and not caring what others think. 

It's taken a long time to release the fears. (at least most of them - one I'm working on is taking selfies :) 

Finally living more authentically and wholeheartedly as the real me. 

Here I stand.

Check out Songography over at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Lazy Day

Three day weekends are the best.  Why do they feel so much more luxurious than two day weekends?  Plenty of time to take some advice from Bruno Mars.

Today I don't feel like doing anything.  I just wanna lay in my bed.

Lazy Day 3/52

Why not? 

Sometimes the "to do" list can wait.

Linking up to Kathy's Songography at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

.

Brave

(2/52)

Yes, they are Cookie Monster pajamas.  They sort of sum up my holiday season.  WAY too many cookies and sweets were consumed by yours truly.  It will be a supreme act of bravery to step on a scale again.  I'll need a little more time at the gym before that happens.

Linking up to Kathy's Songography where you can picture a song.

This week's installment?  

Sara Bareilles' "Brave"

(How does Kathy know all of my favorite songs???)

Unwritten

 The rest is still unwritten

Song-ography

Been thinking a lot about gratitude lately.  This year I'm hoping to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Before the holidays I made this jar to help me live out this intention.  It sits in the middle of my kitchen table.  My hope is that the rest of the fam will join in with contributions - but for the most part it's just been me so far.  Although at our family gathering for pollyanna day my sister in law snuck one in there - and so did a good  friend.  My hope is by this time next year the jar will be filled as we acknowledge our blessings day by day.

Linking up to Kathy's Song-ography party where this week's song is Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" (a personal fave).

 http://youllshootyoureyeout-kathy.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year

2014

Sleeping in is a great way to start off a new year.  

Ease into it.  

Breakfast at 11 am? Perfect. 

 Life IS good.

Especially when you declare a pajama day.

I think I just might have started a new tradition.

Happy New Year

Hello again

It's been a long time.  My poor camera has been gathering dust. 

A new year is quickly approaching, so maybe a new start for this old blog to go along with it? 

 We'll see how it goes.

Photo Heart Connection : March

This is my Photo Heart Connection for March.  It seems like a rather boring photo of a sapling.

But that's what I love about Kat's Photo Heart Challenge.  We're not picking the most interesting photo of the month or the most technically proficient...but the one that speaks to us for some reason.

There was just something about the tiny bird's nest nestled in this newborn tree that arrested my attention.  As you can tell from the background, there are so many other seemingly better choices - more mature trees that would provide better protection, a more secure station in life.  Choosing one of the others would seem so much more sensible.  Looking at this fragile little stick of a tree proudly wearing that nest had me feeling inspired by the bird who built it.  It's as if our feathered friend is telling us - THIS is the tree I love.  I'm going to follow my heart.

Poem It Out 2

  Morning Pages

Birds chirp good morning songs

nestled in newly born chartreuse leaves

I turn back inside 

noting the rhythmic hum of the refrigerator

Does it ever rest?

bare blank page waiting

faintly noticing the after taste of morning coffee

I pinch the rubber grip

silver tip gliding across the paper

splaying ink in its wake

Alone with my words.

Poem It Out

I've started an e-course called Poem It Out with Liz Lamoreux.  I've been taking some writing classes as part of my sabbatical requirements and this seemed like a fun way to stretch myself a bit.   Truthfully, I find poetry kinda intimidating.  The cool thing is that in this course, you combine the writing with photography.  I love that!

So here's a photo I took and some thoughts that go with it.

20 Minute Nap


I settle into my napping couch

and set the timer.

I'm becoming my mother.


We'd laugh at her short slumbers.

It's all I need

she'd say

She never allowed herself

a full amount of anything - 

a bite of donut

half a Coke

a smidgen of nap

Just enough to tide her over

.... until..... what?

I Feel Bad About My Neck

Have you ever read Nora Ephron's book I Feel Bad About My Neck?  It's the first thing I thought of when I took this picture for Urban Muser's selfie project.

It's a very funny book with lots of little snippets about getting older.  One of the anecdotes is about how she feels badly about her neck.  It's gotten old and wrinkly and saggy.  She warns us that we may use all the anti-aging creams in the world on our faces or get botox or face lifts, but our necks will always give us away.  Well, as my father-in-law used to say - "I don't mind getting older - it beats the alternative!"

This month's challenge was to do a selfie in black and white.  There are a lot of very creative interpretations linked up!

Happy Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Joining in Scavenger Hunt Sunday this week.  The prompts were...

Seven

I think that's seven cars in my rear view mirror.  Just passing the time at a red light.

Clouds

This was actually a sunrise - not a sunset.  I'm not exactly a morning person.  I like my sleep!  I'm sure my husband won't believe that I took this shot.  HE'S usually the early riser in our house.

High Angle

 Bejamin Franklin's grave.  People traditionally toss pennies on it.  A penny saved is a penny earned. 

 I wonder what they do with all of the pennies. 

 I'll have to remind my daughter about that saying the next time she wants to go to the mall.

Low Angle

Momma robin proud of her handiwork.

Sun Flare

General Anthony Wayne on guard at Valley Forge Park.  He has an excellent view of the sunrise each day.

Well, that's it for this week.

I always love looking at everyone's links for this challenge at Ramblings and Photos.

Have a lovely week :)

Going wild in the city

     On Sunday, I set off to meet some blog friends in Philly - Kathy (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out), Wendy (In Focus On Him) and Shay (Eye On The Sparrow).  It was a lot of fun - my first photo meet-up!  We wandered around the historic district, so I expected to capture shots of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, yada yada,yada...

     I certainly didn't expect to take shots of wild life!!!

 Okay, maybe it isn't exactly wild life.  But this guy just seemed to beg to have his picture taken.  Or maybe he was hoping for a handout...

This, however, was a little more unexpected in downtown Philly.

It looks like this was taken in a country setting.  Until you pan out...

Lesson learned.  The beauty of nature is everywhere!

More wild life in the city?

This guy seemed to think so.  We did get a few glances from passerby.

 I wonder why?

Thanks for a great day ladies!  Check out their blogs.  These girls have skills (besides bike-jacking) :)