Long Hollow

Belated Friday Favorites...

This day has just been a repeat of the whole week, trying to cram as much in as possible. And without revealing too much (I'm saving it for another post), I'll just quote Bert in "Mary Poppins": "Wind's in the east, mist comin' in. Like something is brewin' about to begin... " That's how my life is feeling these days. Exciting. Ominous. Confusing. Exhausting. Hopeful. Depressing.

I refuse to let it bring me down, though. I'm keeping the faith and even now, right this minute, I have a smile on my face.

Back to this day, though. There were the Pre-Work things... then there was Work... then after work the Girl and I finished up our Sorority List Scavenger Hunt; I think we finally scratched the last items off of the list. I didn't stay in college long enough to join a sorority, and I probably wouldn't have anyway, but I keep an open mind about them and can see the positive aspects of being a member. Then there are times I have to just bite my tongue, play along and remind myself I'm not the one paying for it.

Anyway, despite the frantic searching and long hours we've spent chasing bargains, I've enjoyed this time with the Girl. When you're with someone you love, it really doesn't matter what you're doing, right? It's all about spending that time, having those conversations, sharing the private jokes.

I made a bee-line for the bathroom and the refrigerator when we got home, in that order, then she and I carried our plates downstairs to watch a movie with Tom: Kiss-Ass. It's one Daniel recommended at Walmart last week, but I really didn't have an interest in watching it until Tom told me he thought I'd like it. He already watched it once, but liked it enough to sit through it again.

And he was right - I did like it! It's a cross between Mystery Men and Kill Bill. Yeah, a strange combination, but it has innocence woven through the violence. Definitely violence, and I could have done without so much, but the screenplay is tight, the world it creates and the characters living in it are believable, original and sympathetic... I enjoyed it!

And that's my excuse for posting my Friday Favorite Photos on Saturday morning. I was busy with Life.

But here they are now... ("they" because I can never pick just one!)

First, this one of Belle. She hops through the tall grass, springing around like Christopher Robbin's Tigger, but it's so hard to capture it with my camera. She's so fast! This was close, this one of her standing up like a prairie dog, looking over the top of the grass toward Max...

Then there's this one of Max, with the big grin on his face. He's still limping big-time, poor puppy, but this week he's been so frisky and happy, and whatever is making him limp doesn't keep him from running and playing with Belle and Haley. It warms my heart when I see him smile like this, and makes me feel we did the right thing getting him a puppy...

I finally captured another shot of a butterfly! We have them darting around, but they won't stay in one spot long enough to get a picture. This one acquiesced; I didn't have my zoom, so it's not a great photograph, but I'm still happy about it!

And of course, this one of me and Daniel is a favorite of the week. It's not very good of either of us, but that's not the main thing. What it reminds me of is a weekend with Daniel, hanging out, watching movies, walking the dogs, just talking. Priceless.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of beautiful moments, frozen or not!

 

Friday Focus

My brain has been scattered lately, trying to fly in too many directions at once. I end up lost; my mornings wander away from me and I feel I'm scrambling to catch up the rest of the day.

I didn't realize how bad it was until two days ago - I sat down to play my one-song-a-day on the drums and realized my mind had drifted out the window into the woods and the drumsticks were only half-heartedly keeping time to the song playing in my ears. I jerked myself back and mentally slapped myself: Stay in the moment! Quit drifting ahead, quit drifting to the past. Just stay right here and focus on the present!

That's what I'm doing today... trying to do... adjusting my zoom close onto the 'right now', focusing on what I'm doing, not what I'm going to be doing or what I've done. So far, so good.

Today's Friday Frozen Moment is a teaser... any guesses? (If you know, don't give it away!) I'll explain tomorrow.

Also, Mr. Nikon (Keith Land) came through with seven photos from the Linton Mancilla concert this past Saturday night. Here's one - I'm posting the rest on Confessions of a Photography Addict here if you're interested. He says he took 1200 photos that night. Hmmm... seems I'm not the only photography addict!

Oh, and I can't forget to wish my friend Tamara a happy birthday. She's one of those friends I don't see or talk to often enough... I really miss her!... but I know she's still holding onto the other end... there if I need her. And she knows it's the same with me. So happy birthday, Tamara!

Happy Friday, happy weekend, happy end of July to all of you! 

And don't forget to focus!

Friday Favorite (s) - Home

My favorite frozen moments of this past week are these from a twilight walk down our road with Tom and the puppies last weekend.

 They aren't perfect photographs, but I chose them because they help me remember why we fell in love with Long Hollow.  

They remind me why all of the back-breaking work, the blood, sweet and tears, the years of our lives, the thousands of dollars we've invested in building this home that blends into its surroundings, that doesn't disturb the spirit of the Hollow, has been worth it. 

They remind me that the Hollow is our home and it's up to us to protect it.

     

A Matter of Privacy on a 19th Birthday

As a baby, my daughter was all eyes ... huge sapphires that filled her face.

They acted as magnets, drawing perfect strangers to her... especially men, it seemed. It made me uncomfortable, as you can imagine.

She must have sensed my unease, because she's been on guard around strangers ever since. Especially men. And as her mother, I'm glad of it. I never had to worry... okay, scratch that, I'll always worry... but I didn't have to worry as much as other mothers about her chatting it up with strangers on My Space or Facebook, much less meeting them in a mall somewhere and riding off with them.

The only downside of this, if there is a downside, is that her reticence around people (not just strangers) sometimes comes off as anti-social. She's not one of those bubbly, huggy, gushy girls who believes everyone is her new best friend, that accepts anyone and everyone at face value, and will spill her life story and deepest secrets in a heartbeat.

Before you get the wrong impression of her, let me add that she's usually warm, sweet and giving, as well as very polite, sociable and funny, and if she's your friend you can count on her to the end.

But she can also be very cynical and sarcastic. She has a 'cold' faucet and she's not afraid to use it. She is who she is, not who others want her to be, and she hopes that's enough, but if it isn't, well... let's just say she's not a "people pleaser", worried about making everyone happy. That's just not her job.

And I admire that about her.

The truth is, she's just like me... and she's nothing like me. I'm shy and reticent - at times. But the older I get, the more open I'm becoming. My barriers are dropping. I'm not sure if life experience has just made me more self-confident and outgoing, or if my social ease is some form of early dementia (as my kids suspect), but I'm more willing to take risks with people. I do take them at face value quite often.

I admit, there's a little part of me inside that stands ready to turn on that 'cold' faucet in a moment's notice. I'm trusting and open... to a point. But that point has stretched way farther out than it used to be, that's for sure.

And it worries my daughter. Somehow in just a few short years, we've switched places; she's now the one cautioning me about strangers, about divulging too much information here on my blog or on Facebook.

"Seriously Mom? 500 friends? Those are not real friends, Mom. They're probably stalkers!"

"Mom, you didn't post your address and phone number on Facebook, did you? Come on!"

"Mom, please tell me you didn't blog about us going on vacation!"

The thing is, she's right. And I'm proud about it.

("Of all the haunting moments of motherhood, few rank with hearing your own words come out of your daughter's mouth." ~ Victoria Secunda)

Today is her 19th birthday, which just amazes me. I remember 19; it was a huge year for me, a year of changes... changes I don't want for her. It was the year I dropped out of college, worked as a welder's helper, moved into my own apartment. It was the first of 13 years that I spent as a chemical plant technician.

Can you believe this is me? It was the day before my 19th birthday - I was doing great in school that semester, full of big plans for my future. It scares me how quickly things can change when you're 19. It scares me for her, because she doesn't realize it.

I'm not complaining about my life (I realize I've been blessed!), only some of the choices I made that 19th year. I hope the wisdom she shows about privacy extends into the other areas of her life... college, relationships, money, health, faith.

Speaking of privacy, out of respect for hers I no longer refer to her by name (she's TG or The Girl, a nickname she earned as the only daughter) or post recent photos of her. I hope she doesn't mind this one of her wading in Lake Michigan with her Daddy last week, though. Knowing it was probably the last 'family' vacation is bittersweet. This is my Friday Favorite Frozen Moment of the Week.

She's also given me permission to share old photographs... and I've enjoyed digging through albums pulling these...

Day 1... at least Tom and I look happy!

With her Daddy...

(This always made me a nervous wreck, but they both loved it! Please don't call Child Protective Services... )

With her brothers...

Just being herself, my one and only baby girl, exploring, celebrating, ready to take on the world...

 

Happy 19th birthday, sweet Girl! I'm grateful for you, I'm proud of you, I love you... and I always will!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday's Favorite Frozen Moment(s) of the Week

First choices are the ones with my kids of course... it's not often I have them all together! I love this one of me and Tommy - look at that face! It overwhelms him how much I love him, but he handles it well.

I picked this one because it has a bit of the Girl in it - Tommy fell asleep on the couch, so she slipped her sleeping mask on him. What a sweet sister!

This was a favorite because the original has all three kids in it - per the Girl's wishes, I cropped her out before posting it. But I know she's there.

  I had to pick one of my 'artsy' pictures - this is the orb weaver's web, dripping with rainwater, glistening like a jeweled necklace.
 
 Hope you've had a wonderful week, full of beautiful moments, frozen or unfrozen!

Frozen moments (and gratitude for my zoom)

I've been snapping pictures like crazy since about the time I learned to write in cursive, with any camera I could get my hands on, from instamatics and a hand-me-down black and white Scout camera, courtesy of one of my siblings, to an Olympus 35mm Tom bought me - and that was subsequently stolen from our home a few years later.

Some of my first work...

  

I improved over the years (I hope) but never took the time to really play around with angles, lighting, and all of that fun, creative stuff. But thanks to my friend Ann, whose Nikon I coveted, I begged for a new camera... and now thanks to my blogging friend Jillsy (click here to see the beautiful images she captures on her camera), I've been inspired to really learn how to use it and reawaken my photography passion. And I'm loving it! No, I didn't need another hobby or time-sucker, but I refuse to feel guilty about it. 

Starting today, I'm going to post my favorite photos of the past week every Friday. Or at least try to. Here are the first ones...

I discovered this little lady between our deck and the tops of some trees this week, hard at work on her delicate web. The light was perfect... she was at just the right level with me... and thank you, Tom, for my zoom lens so I didn't have to get any closer! (She's an orb-weaver, if you're wondering.)

   

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