Picture Picture

Click on photo for expanded view.

After months of toiling over which  Morning Dew Photography prints to choose, I finally made my selection. A very thoughtful daughter gave me a gift certificate for Morning Dew last year for my birthday and it has taken me nearly a year to decide what to get. There are so many beautiful prints to choose from.

When I focused on a particular wall in need of embellishment, it helped tremendously. That turned out to be the one above the bed in the upstairs bedroom. The wall has been bare for some time and these prints are going to make a big difference. Seeing them hung will inspire me to tackle a few other improvements that I've been meaning to make in the room.

The prints are 12" X 16" with mats, which is classified as an odd size if you want to purchase ready-to-hang frames but I actually found these finished frames at Michaels craft store and they were on sale for half the normal price. Although custom framing is nice, it's also good to have less costly options. These frames accent the photos perfectly and I am anxious to get them hung. 

She Should Know

Elyse and her Aunt Diane.

This is my seven year old granddaughter, Elyse. She stayed over

night with her grandpa and me this past weekend.

Sunday morning Elyse went to the machine shed to see what her grandpa

was working on. As she entered the building, she told him that the building smelled

like owl puke. "How would you know that?" her grandpa asked.

Owl Pellet  (Photo courtesy of KidWings.com)

Elyse explained that at school she and the other kids in her class had seen owl

pellets (puke)—and that they had even touched the bones and skin that they were made of. 

Who would have thought?

Kids truly do say the darndest things but I've come to realize that much

of what they say is based on experience and it comes from a reservoir

of information shaped by sight and sound.

(I think there's a lesson to be realized here.)

Elyse loves to read.

On behalf of Elyse, here are a few facts about owls and owl pellets (courtesy of KidWings.com):
Owls, like many other birds, eat their food whole. Since birds do not have teeth, they can't chew their food. Therefore, they use their strong and sharp beaks to rip their prey apart and then swallow large chunks whole. The owl slowly digests its meal by separating the softer materials (such as meat) from the harder material (such as bones). It then regurgitates the harder material along with indigestible items such as feathers and fur in the form of a pellet.

It HaPPeNed in SaiNt HeLeNs

A little info re: my daughter, Jessie, a.k.a. Saint Elyns.

(Click on photo for larger view.)

I'm oozing a "bit-o-pride" today—

and I'm not even Irish.

:-) 

BFFs

Me and my shadows. . . 

Much of my day is spent with polar opposites. One is totally black and highly excitable

and the other is completely white and very laid back. That's me in the sunglasses. 

Building Repair

As you will see, the quality of this video is questionable—as well as the unscripted babble that accompanies it. This is due to the fact that it is an experiment. One that I would have preferred to keep under my hat until I had a true understanding of how YouTube and video embedding works. But, since going live seems to be the only way to actually see it in operation, I decided to just go for it. The loafing shed was an easy subject to experiment with. I used my iPhone to record this.

Question for anyone who has experience with posting videos from YouTube: Is there reason to be concerned about posting videos in this manner—too much information perhaps (full name is shown)? Is there a better way to post personal videos on my blog?

Saturday

Saturday.

Glorious weather.

A ride on a Mule.

(not the kind you think)

Inviting pathways.

An encounter with

a wild turkey.

Cackling pheasant.

Deer sightings.

Tall shadows.

Long legs.

I like.

Seldom Alone

This will be one of my outdoor projects over the next several months. I'm planning to give this sorry little loafing shed a bit of a boost with some tender loving care and a coat of paint. Several boards and the doors and windows frames will need to be replaced so I've added a few tools to my toolbox. My recently purchased drill driver is smaller and easier to use than the standard variety. A few lessons with the power saw and I'll be set to go. From the looks of the shadow it appears that my efforts may be closely monitored. 

Skullduggery

Underhanded, fishy, suspicious. . .  What exactly is going on with the weather?

It's nearly 80 degrees in Wisconsin today. There should still be snow on the ground.
Pure trickery, that's what it is. Our red maple is has been completely fooled,

as well as the farmer down the road. He was discing his field yesterday. I'm sure

the farmer will be fine but I'm not so sure about our maple. Too warm too soon.

Sweet Onion

Life begins at forty.

That's approximately how many

days it took for this sweet onion to

sprout. I wasn't sure what to do

with it so I did this. . .

and this

and this

and this

and. . .

uh oh.

Apparently life begins and ends

at forty (if you're an onion that is).

Sorry little bubba. . .

Deja vu

Dash o' Dash

Gluten lovers need not enter. . . 

You may or may not have problems with gluten. If not, chances are you will not be interested in this post. That may also be the case if you prefer meat with every meal.

I discovered last year that gluten is definitely not my friend, although I had my suspicions for some time. As far as consuming meat, it has never been a necessity in my mind. I prefer beans or other protein-laden foods. I believe that is why I've been able to switch to a mediterranean style diet without much problem. I do enjoy an occasional filet mignon but when I consume meat it is usually in the form of fish or poultry.

On that note, I'd like to share a favorite recipe. It is a slimmed down version of guacamole, which, as you know, is mostly avocado (love 'em!). Avocado is a healthy fat but a serving is around 1/4 of a cup. This recipe has more tomato and a few other ingredients. Mind you, it takes a bit of adjustment to get used this version if you're used to eating the standard guacamole. This recipe is similar to fresh salsa. 

When I realized that I could no longer eat wheat breads, etc., I started looking for other products to use. They needed to be whole grain and gluten-free. That's when I started using teff wraps in place of whole wheat tortillas. They aren't as satisfying in all circumstances but they work great for this recipe.

GUACAMOLE

(1 serving)

2 small tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper

1/4 cup chopped Hass avocado

1 teaspoon agave nectar

Dash (or to taste) Mrs. Dash Garlic

and Herb Seasoning Blend 

Triangle chips: Cut Ivory Teff Wraps (in natural/organic department-not refrigerated) into triangles and toast on cookie sheet in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes, depending on oven. I toast mine until they are medium to dark brown since I like them crunchy. (You'll want to watch them close once they begin to brown.) Cool slightly and serve with salsa.

There is no marinating, etc. with this recipe. Mix it up and eat away. It is a complete meal if you add a reduced-fat mozzarella string cheese.All of the meals that I make for myself can be made in 15 minutes or less, but they have to be healthy. This has been a lifestyle change that's taken place in the past year. I so needed it.

Fall Winter Sampling II

Here are a few more pieces from my daughter's 2012 fall/winter collection. She was recently told that a shirt from her the spring/summer line is going to be featured in the April issue of Seventeen magazine. It hasn't hit the stands yet but will in the next few days.

Waves of Spring

Waves of

Spring

by Karen

Fresh air.

Cool breezes.

Happy hair.

Tickle sneezes.

Doggie smiles.

Outdoor play.

Windows wide.

Snow away.

Bare arms.

Spring clean.

Busy farms.

Things green.

Bright eyes.

Birds singing.

Mud pies.

Kids swinging.

Bared toes.

Creeks flowing.

Seed sows.

Buds showing.

March 2012

Welcome Back!

WRITTEN IN MARCH

by William Wordsworth

The cock is crowing,
The stream is flowing,
The small birds twitter,
The lake doth glitter
The green field sleeps in the sun;
The oldest and youngest
Are at work with the strongest;
The cattle are grazing,
Their heads never raising;
There are forty feeding like one!

Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated,
And now doth fare ill
On the top of the bare hill;
The plowboy is whooping—anon-anon:
There's joy in the mountains;
There's life in the fountains;
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!

Trompe l'oeil?

Why is there a hand in this photo? There is no mystery involved, or underlying meaning. It is a reflection of my daughter's hand on a marble wall. But the moment I noticed the "floating hand" in one of my New York photos, I knew I had to do something with it.

That's truly where the mystery lies: Why do I feel the need to post such a thing? The answer is simple. . . because it's there and that's just who I am. I'm also this and this. What motivates me to dress a roma tomato in a hat and give him a name? Who knows. But one thing's for certain, the lighter side of life is what keeps me standing.

Sing Me A Reprise

This is a bit of an experiment. I just learned how to embed music directly into a post. As it turns out, it's quite easy to do. After clicking on the Edit HTML tab, all you have to do is paste the code into the edit window.

Philippe Bronchtein, who performs the vocals and plays the guitar in this just released single, is a friend of my daughter's. I love the the sound of a guitar, especially if it's an acoustic. This music takes me back a few years, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson. . . meaningful lyrics in their music but it usually took me a while to fully understand them.

The Staten Island Ferry

I acquired quite a collection of photos during my recent four day trip to New York. These were taken during a ride on The Staten Island Ferry. It provides service between Lower Manhattan and Staten Island. It takes approximately 25 minutes and offers good views of The Statue of Liberty and the New York Harbor. The five mile ride is free of charge, which may explain why 20 million people ride the ferry annually.

Fall Winter Sampling

Now that I've been given the okay, I wanted to post a few photos showing pieces from daughter Jessie's 2012 fall/winter collection. She designs and produces her line of women's clothing under the name Saint Elyns. The photos seen here were done by Parker Fitzgerald, a talented photographer from Portland, Oregon. The first photo was actually taken with a Polaroid camera. . . with lovely results I might add.

Grandma Marie's Collection

Grandma Marie

is my granddaughter's other

grandmother. She is a collector of dolls, stuffed

toys and other fun things. She recently shared her

Garfield collection with the rest of us and it

quickly ignited a flurry of activity

—to put it mildly.

I have a suspicion that the "Love From Lightning Lips"
Garfield might be Grandma Marie's favorite.

Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes photos from the ParaNorman set have recently been
posted on Facebook. They are so worth a look. Amazing stuff!

ParaNorman - Theatrical Trailer [HD]

"You don't become a hero by being normal."       

"There's nothing wrong with being scared, Norman,

as long as you don't let it change who you are."

This new trailer for ParaNorman, which will be out in August, was just released. ParaNorman is a true 3-D movie (camera generated) and is the second of only two stop-motion 3-D films ever made. Coraline was the first. My son-in-law, Rob, has been working on the movie for over two years. He is a Lead Set Dresser and has also provided creative input. The sets, characters, and everything used to create the scenes, have been made by hand. Check out the Laika website to learn more about the process. 

"Young Lady"

A favorite photo from my recent visit to NY shows daughter Stephanie outside of the David Letterman studio. We had just inquired about tickets to the show.

Stephanie is the "young lady" from the previous post. She's the girl with an impish grin hiding behind the bubble. She was an enjoyable companion during the trip and was forgiving of me when I unknowingly dropped the just purchased tickets for the Broadway play, Sister Act, as we were on our way out of the theatre. I realized they were missing when we returned later to see the performance. Fortunately, someone found them and turned them in at the box office. (Kudos to you, whoever you are.) The show was a complete delight and it was time together that we will cherish for years to come.