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Good-bye July, Hello August

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It’s time for the One Little Word recap for July. July was the first month I really didn’t track my progress. I’ll chalk it up to being away the first week of July so my routines didn’t get established. The truth is, however, that July was the month last year that I more or less gave up on my OLW and just let it go. We’re halfway through the year and it’s been a tough one in so many ways, but I’m still COMMITED to working on the projects I set out for myself in January. Not all of them are calling to me right now, but there are enough to keep me going. Here’s July in pictures:

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There are a couple of photos of grandchildren sent to me—Caleb on his new 8-speed bicycle (#19). His dad says he can’t keep up with him any more; he’s way too fast! The three little girls on a bench after they’d been berry picking (#24), and Hannah in her “hiding” place for hide-and-seek (#29). Sarah says Caleb is such a good big brother, he pretends that he can’t see her for awhile. On the 6th, you can see the rocks Caleb, Hannah, and I painted with alcohol inks. They came out great and it wasn’t anywhere as near messy as I expected it to be. On the 21st, Skylar and Ella came to bake sugar cookies. That was a first for me in the summer, but they disappeared as quickly as they do in December. The photo on the 26th shows our patio without the almost “dead” hedge that has surrounded it since we moved in 35 years ago. The 27th shows the new railing that was installed that day. Our patio sits at the top of a hill, and there needs to be some protection against folks stumbling or running off it and tumbling down the hill. I wasn’t sure what I’d think of it, but I really love it. We have a much better view, and the patio actually seems bigger since some of the furniture can be placed right against the railing. I’ll have more photos later. There are photos from our walks and bike rides, and the 31st shows some of the cards and images I colored over 115 days.

I did finish the #100DayProject and continued coloring every day until the 30th in order to finish the second of the 30 Day Coloring Challenges that ended on July 3oth. Even more amazing to me than the completing the project was that almost all the projects were posted on Instagram—something I rarely did, but expect to continue to do on a less frequent basis. 

I made NO progress on purging the photos in my Photo Library, so that’s high on the list for August. Also on the list is to get back on track with daily walking which fell by the wayside with the travel. By mid-June we’d walked a minimum of 2 miles every day for 57 days. Then we left for Wisconsin, and although we walked while we were there we definitely got out of the daily habit, and I’ve found it hard to get back to it. The goal for August is 5 days a week—6 would be better! On the crafting side, my goal this month is to use new stamps and dies that have piled up as I worked on coloring projects. I’m off to a good start already finishing two cards this week with unused (though one was hardly new) stamps and dies. 

Reading was not a problem. I read the five books I set out to read, and read two longer books to Caleb over Zoom. I counted them because I loved both novels, as did Caleb. Tomorrow we start Harriet the Spy. It’s his request, and I hope I like it more this time than I did the last time I tried to read it. Unlike June, I enjoyed all of the books I read in July.

Lila Afterlife Authenticity Tenderland
Liturgy Ivan Bob

The Authenticity Project was just for fun. It and Liturgy of the Ordinary were part of The Unread Shelf Project. I also went through those shelves with a new question to ask: If I saw this book in a bookstore, would I purchase it? The answer for 12 of them was “no,” and they’re in a bag to donate to the library once they begin to accept donations. I’m guessing that won’t happen until the pandemic is truly over. Fortunately, you can now pick up books curbside by appointment, and just this week you may enter the library after signing a document and getting your temperature taken. 

So now it’s August, and today is Sarah’s 40th birthday. I wonder if she’s as surprised by that fact as I am. Her congregation held a birthday car parade yesterday afternoon through the church parking lot. (FYI: Sarah was wearing a mask for the parade, but took it off for this photo.) Someone made a huge sign, and it was delivered to their front yard this morning. They had a beautiful stained glass window hanging made for her, and brought a cake over as well. When we had our FaceTime call, the house had been decorated by Dad and the kids, so it was as festive an occasion as possible during the pandemic.

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Her birthday card this year featured hedgehogs (a favorite of hers) but I also thought the kids would like it as well. These are about as cute as you can find. I love them rushing up the hill with gifts.

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It’s easier to see the “grass” in this photo. I can’t remember the last time I pulled out my fringe scissors, but I’m glad they’ve survived the multiple purges since I bought them years ago.

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Five in Five: July Edition

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I’m late this month in joining Sandie in her 5 in 5 minutes meme. Seems that travel knocked my schedule out of whack! Yesterday, however, I was in our front yard admiring our hydrangeas, and took 5 minutes to walk around and photograph some of them. They’re blooming later than usual this summer, but are also more prolific than they’ve been. We have seven in our front yard, several in the back yard and around the patio, and one new one that somehow we planted in my cutting garden. It’s one of my favorite, and I cut the two blossoms and brought them inside before I decide on this theme for 5 in 5. But although inside it, too, was taken in the 5 minute time limit. We’ll start with that one.

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I absolutely love the color of this one. We’re doing some major renovations around our patio, and next year I’ll move this one up there—hopefully with a few others.

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When Matt redesigned the landscaping in our front yard a few years ago, he planted this hydrangea tree. It starts out pure white, and you can see it changing to pink in this photo.

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Also in the front yard are six hydrangeas that don’t grow quite as tall as many of the others. They are just beginning to bloom, and usually produce blooms in pinks, purples, and blues.

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For the last several years we’ve only had 1-3 blooms on this hydrangea which is just outside our dining room door. These make a wonderful bouquet,
and I have a pitcher full of them inside.

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This hydrangea is behind the previous one, and is probably close to 5 ft. tall.

These are my favorite summer flowers because they bloom all summer, make wonderful bouquets, and some of them dry beautifully as well. For the last two winters, I’ve had a vase or two filled with the dried hydrangeas from our front yard. 

One Little Word: A Very Late Update for June

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Our trip to Racine to see Sarah, Adam, Caleb, and Hannah spanned two weeks from the end of June to the beginning of July. It threw me off totally in terms of evaluating my OLW intentions and setting some new ones for July. 

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I did keep up with a photo every day, although I took some liberty with this collage, inserting the three little girls’ “last day of home school” photos over the course of three days. Betsy had them get dressed up as if it were the last day of school and they were happy to oblige. Had school been in session it would have ended for the elementary students on the 17th. Skylar “finished” third grade; Ella, kindergarten, and Maddy is still in preschool. There’s no word here, yet, of whether schools will open in September and, if they do, what they might look like. Then, of course, parents have to make a decision whether or not they feel the options available are safe. I don’t envy any parents that decision. Sarah and Adam are already wrestling with it. Caleb’s Montessori school is set to reopen for five days a week. Wisconsin, however, continues to see a surge in Covid-19 cases, and there is a general unwillingness of folks to wear masks. We didn’t enter any stores while we were away, but Sarah and Adam have taken to ordering almost everything online to be delivered or picked up curbside. Many other photos are from our hikes, and some of the fun we had in Racine. You can see Caleb taking one of his Tae Kwan Do classes via Zoom on the 26th. Dad is helping out as he practices his kicks. I documented our daily lunch at home on the 12th. If the weather permits, we eat on the patio and play a game of cribbage while we eat.

I also kept up with the #100DayProject, doing two coloring pieces a day when I missed a day due to travel. 

There was lots of reading time in June, both on the patio, in the morning, and in Racine. I read seven books:

41D1ZZfZUTL._SX327_BO1 204 203 200_ Bookshop Gilead2 Home
I'm Still Here Pull SuchAFunAge

(There was an issue with Typepad formatting these books this time. It’s never been a problem before. I couldn’t get to left-justified margins without these sentences. Who knows?)

I really enjoyed both Marilynne Robinson books. I’d read Gilead years ago, but was glad to have reread it. It’s the first of three linked books about two ministers and their families during the 1950’s in Gilead, Iowa. Not a lot happens, but both books are beautifully written and the NYTimes described Gilead as having a “spiritual force that’s rare in contemporary fiction,” and indeed, I wished at the end that I had underlined major portions of it. Sarah was reading I’m Still Here . . . while we were there, and I picked it up as soon as she finished it. I’ve since ordered my own copy, and our church is sponsoring an online book group about it that starts Sunday evening. The Pull of the Moon was my book for The Unread Shelf. It was a quick read, but not particularly satisfying. I wasn’t a huge fan of The Bookshop, our couples’ book group choice, but most of our group seemed to like it a lot. Such a Fun Age wasn’t as engaging as I expected it to be. Tracy always says that movies and books that get rave reviews rarely live up to the expectation. In this case, that was true. I also loved Rebecca Solnit’s memoir. Memoir is one of my favorite genres, and this one has a very unique take on the genre, but one I really enjoyed. Solnit is a historian and activist who writes extensively on feminine issues and the environment. She’s had a fascinating history.

I’m not planning any big changes for July. The #100DayProject ended a few days ago, but I had already started my second 30 Day Coloring Challenge hosted by Kathy Racoosin so I’ll finish that up. There’s the usual stack of books, many more photos to purge, and some online classes I’d like to take.

Mostly, I’m trying to stay as positive as I can as the virus spirals out of control without any serious leadership from the federal government. Fortunately, our county has remained pretty stable, and in NY everyone is required to wear a mask before entering any indoor establishment. I’ve read of instances where folks have refused, but in the few places I’ve been I’ve not seen anyone without a mask. We returned from Wisconsin just a week before rates there went up enough that anyone coming into NY from Wisconsin must quarantine for two weeks. The list of states for which that is true is updated almost daily. Now people coming to NY on public transportation are met by officials and must complete a written document so that contact tracing can take place if necessary. I hope it helps contain the virus, which is beginning to rise statewide again. There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight, and I find it incredible that there are still people who believe it’s a hoax, and won’t take it seriously. 

Ah, well, here’s to the health and safety of all of us during the rest of the summer. I’m so grateful to be secure, safe, and have access to beautiful outdoor spaces during this lovely time of year. May the same be true for you.

 

 

Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt

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I’m ten days late in getting this post up. You can find the other link-ups here at Mary-Lou’s blog who generously provides the list as well as a link to others participating. I always enjoy these summertime hunts. Although I was slow to get going, I’ve ended up with photos for eight of the prompts.

#3ColorsOfFlag

Caleb with his decorated bike for the neighborhood Fourth of July parade: #3 Something with the colours of your country’s flag.

#6Triangle

This bridge on one of our hiking trails is constructed of multiple triangles: #6 Something in the shape of a triangle.

#8Leaf

This leaf is definitely bigger than my hand. We found it walking around a gorgeous neighborhood in Racine. #8 A leaf longer than your hand.

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One day when we were out walking, Adam and the kids passed us on their bikes. #14 Something with wheels.

#17NaturallyRound

This peony is naturally round as are its buds. #17

#18IntheWater

Also found on one of our hikes at home near the Irondequoit Bay were folks out in their kayaks. #18 Something that can go in water.

#19Rocks1

This might be pushing the prompt a bit (#19 A rock with color in it.) These are rocks with color on them. Caleb, Hannah, and I painted rocks with alcohol inks while I was visiting.

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And finally, for the first link-up, Alternate C: Something with four sides.

It’s not too late to join in the hunt if you’re interested. Photos must be taken between the 1st of June and the 30th of September, so there’s plenty of time to play along. Here’s the list if you’re interested. (I copied and pasted the list, and can’t get it to center with the numbers! One of Typepad’s idiosyncrasies.)

                        Summer Scavenger Hunt

  1. A favourite piece of jewelry
  2. Something with or in a knot
  3. Something with the colours of your country’s flag
  4. A toy you play with
  5. Something you have more than one of-stamps
  6. Something in the shape of a triangle
  7. Something that displays a rule(s)
  8. A leaf longer than your hand
  9. Something that starts with the initial of your name (first or last)
  10. Something smaller than a paper clip
  11. Something you need to throw away
  12. Something that holds your favourite beverage
  13. A rubber band/elastic in use
  14. Something with wheels
  15. Something inherited
  16. Something with rough texture
  17. Something naturally round
  18. Something that can go in the water
  19. A stone/rock/pebble with some colour in it
  20. Something with the number 7 in it

Alt A. An animal statue
Alt B. Something heavier than your shoe
Alt C. Something with four sides

Five in Five on the 5th: Peonies in the Park

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Today is June 5th, and time for Sandie’s monthly challenge, 5 in5,  to take five photos in five minutes. With that challenge in mind, I took a series of photos in Highland Park of the gorgeous peonies. Although we live just a short walk from the park, our peonies are just budded. Sadly, there aren’t a lot of buds on our peonies again this year despite applying some fertilizer twice this spring. Not a problem for the peonies in the park which are just gorgeous.

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And finally, my favorite.

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And as always, thanks to Sandie for hosting this meme which has sent me off with my camera every month for several years now.

 

Walking in the Park

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We live just a short walk from one of the nicest parks in the county. It’s especially beautiful in the spring. During a normal year (which this is definitely not), there would have been a 10 day long Lilac Festival. But the truth of the matter is, had it occurred, none of the lilacs would have been in bloom, and it would have been nasty and cold. May’s weather has been bizarre. We walked in the snow twice, and this past week it was 90°. But . . . the park is now in full bloom. Earlier in the week the lilacs were at their peak. The park was too crowded for our tastes, so we walked among the lilacs and stayed off the sidewalks. It was easy to stay a good social distance apart. 

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We’re at the park every year, and yet, I don’t think I’ve ever come across this variety (“Sensation”). It’s one of the most beautiful in the park.

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Later in the week, many of the lilacs had started to fade, but there was still lots of beauty to be seen. Only about 50% of the rhododendrons are in bloom, but this one is gorgeous.

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I think there is only one of these trees in the park, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it in bloom. It’s called a Goldenchain tree—perfect name!

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Most of the magnolias have come and gone, but this beauty was still there.

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This is always one of my favorite spots in the park. The azaleas are in full bloom.

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These rhododendrons are beautiful, too.

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And this is our parting view as we walk down a set of steps to the street that takes us back to our neighborhood.

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I hope this tour makes up for some of my bitter complaining this spring when all the beauty seemed out of our grasp. It certainly lifts my spirits!

 

 

Five in Five: May Blooms in the Greenhouse

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I ought to stop complaining about our weather, but really—-it has snowed the last two days and more is expected tomorrow. At least it’s not accumulating here, as it is both south and north of us. Yesterday we drove to the Finger Lakes to pick up our spring allotment of wine from Boundary Breaks where we belong to the wine club. Afterwards we walked 2 miles on the Seneca-Cayuga Canal Trail — yes, it was snowing. The highlight of the walk was spotting a blue bird which neither of us have ever seen despite the fact that it is New York’s state bird. Our next stop was Horning’s Nursery and Garden Center in Penn Yan. I’m not sure why garden centers are considered essential services, but I’m glad they are. Everyone is very careful to maintain appropriate social distancing, and it’s now required that you wear a mask wherever you go in New York state. I decided it was a great place to get my 5 in 5 photos for Sandie’s monthly meme. so here are the bright, beautiful colors we’re waiting for:

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This nursery is run by an Amish family and their plants are always very healthy, well-cared for, and reasonable. We bought one of the large hanging pots of red geraniums found in this greenhouse. As well as two of these pretty geraniums and some vinca vine for a pot on our patio.

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Although we didn’t buy any this trip, here are my favorites—Martha Washington geraniums. They’ll probably go in the cart in a few weeks when we return just before Memorial Day when it will finally be safe to plant annuals.

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We had already gotten in the car when I remembered I wanted to take photos for this blog post, so these definitely fit into the requirements for the meme: five photos in five minutes!

April OLW Recap

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COMMIT has remained a good word for these unusual times, although the goals for April evolved as the month progressed. This, I’m sure, will be the new normal for the summer ahead. All our plans for travel and special events have now been cancelled through the end of August. I’m still holding out hope for a trip to Wisconsin before summer ends, but we’ll have to wait and see what things are like, not only here but in all the states between here and there. If things were normal, we’d be there now to celebrate Mother’s Day and my birthday. Thank goodness for FaceTime and Zoom. 

Like the pandemic, winter has still not lessened its grip on western New York. Trees have still not leafed out, but the birds are returning. In the last two weeks, we’ve had rose-breasted grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, many yellow finches, and a red-winged blackbird and a cowbird at our feeders. The last two are new are new to our yard. 

I finished Sandie’s 30 Day Photo Challenge, and managed a photo-a-day–again all on my iPhone.

April2020

In the middle, you’ll see a couple photos of grandchildren I did not take, but were sent to me by my kids. Twelve of the photos were from our almost-daily walks and hikes. We tallied over 57 miles during April, 24 of them on the Lehigh Valley Trail. There are also three photos of food. I’ve really enjoy cooking, and there could have been many more photos. I’m trying 2-3 new recipes each week, and doing some baking which is really unusual. The walking seems to be offsetting the increased calories!

So back to goals, on the 7th of April I committed to doing a 100 Day Project–daily coloring in any medium which coincided with Kathy Racoosen’s 30 Day Coloring Challenge. It’s a good project, challenging me to try some new techniques as well as get out a variety of coloring mediums. Amazingly enough, I’ve managed to post on Instagram regularly as well. I also signed up for an Online Card Class which I’ve enjoyed. I completed several projects, and have several more I want to tackle.

Another new goal emerged a week or two later when I received notice that my iCloud storage was about full. After offloading about 90% of my documents to an external hard drive, I started to tackle the incredible numbers of photos in my Photos app that go back to 2006. I’m about halfway through (now working on 2013) and have purged over 11,000 photos. It’s been a good trip through memory lane and a reminder to henceforth delete duplicates and blurry photos as you go. (As well as the multiple photos I take solely for my blog.)

I read seven books:

ThingsseenLent Light of the world Writerslovers

Wonder Dearlife Gallagher

I particularly enjoyed Writers and Lovers, the only romantic novel on the list. I found some of Alice Munro’s short stories challenging, but in the end understand why she has received so many accolades. Although I found the first of Nora Gallagher’s book slow-going in the beginning, by the end I had marked so many pages, I ordered her second memoir and enjoyed it as well. Five of those are books for my Unread Shelf Project. April’s goal was to read five books and complete a BINGO sheet. Done! (See the photo for Day 17; one of the books was finished late in March which met the requirements for the BINGO game.) Now I’m engrossed in two long, but interesting books, so I’m thinking I won’t finish seven books in May. 

So my goals for May: keep working on the 100DayProject, and begin to assemble cards with all the coloring I’ve done so far; participate in Spring Card Camp 2 which started Wednesday; read another book from the unread shelves (reorganized by genre during April); complete the purging of photos in the Photos app, and move on to one or more projects I keep pushing ahead month after month. We’ll see which ones win the battle! I’m also determined to walk every day in May. This weekend will be the biggest test as snow is predicted Saturday night. Mother’s Day (celebrated here on Sunday) is going to be really cold!

Sandie’s 30 Day Photo Challenge

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I took a group of photos yesterday at the park thinking I’d get a May Day post up, but it didn’t happen. I did, however, get the photos for Sandie’s 30 Day Challenge edited today. Sandie had a prompt for each day of April. A couple of the photos didn’t happen exactly on that date, but I did capture a photo for all 30 prompts.

Day 1: A Selfie—truly one of my LEAST favorite photos to take. They are never flattering, but here is one from the trail. We spent several days in April hiking part of the Lehigh Valley Rail Trail. We still have a few portions left to hike, but the one we hoped to hike today was flooded in areas, so we headed out in a different direction. We’ll have to do that link another time.

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Day 2: Something that gives you joy—these daffodils bloomed in our back yard much earlier, and we brought them inside to enjoy. The ones in the front yard have been blooming for a couple of weeks. Our very cool temperatures (and even some snow) seemed to have agreed with them.

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Day 3: Centered–as we were walking on April 3rd, I told Tracy what the day’s prompt was. Almost immediately, we came upon this lawn sculpture in front of an apartment building. The cerub is definitely centered.

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Day 4: A book you are reading/loved. I finished this book at the end of March. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read—imaginative, tragic, and uplifting. It’s a novel based on a true story of two men–one Israeli and one Palestinian–both of whom lost a daughter to the fighting in Israel/Palestine. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, however. Sarah is a voracious reader, and she’s finding it hard to stick with it.

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Day 5: Window–we were walking along the Genesee River on the fifth, and I took a photo of the windows on the University of Rochester’s Interfaith Chapel.

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Day 6: Prints–I try to keep current photos of my grandchildren on a board in our kitchen. These are the last three prints I made. All the photos were taken by their parents since we haven’t seen anyone for the last seven weeks!

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Day 7: Favorite mug–Tracy and I pour coffee into thermal mugs each morning, and head to the living room to read for an hour–or two. This mug keeps coffee hot all morning.

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Day 8: Rainbow–a yard sign in a nearby neighborhood.

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Day 9: Reflection– in a puddle at the park.

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Day 10: Something that makes you laugh–a squirrel in our bird feeder—annoying, but funny to watch him maneuver himself around.

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Day 11: Pattern–shadows on the foot bridge

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Day 12: Look up

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Day 13: Look down–new signage at the park.

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Day 14: Self-care–one of my indulgences has been getting a pedicure. That’s no longer possible so I purchased a foot spa. It costs about the same as a pedicure, and was worth every penny. I also bought a scented foot soak which softens your feet. Quite a lovely experience, and one that will get regular use during this stay-at-home time.

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Day 15: A door–ours.

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Day 16: Escape–crafting is the best one I know!

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Day 17: Food—my sister-in-law always serves deviled eggs on Easter. No family dinner this year, but I made some.

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Day 18: Digits–this prompt actually inspired a card for my great-nephew’s birthday later in May.

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Day 19: Where I’d like to be–Hawaii, where I should have been in March!

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Day 20: Something with a scent or smell–soon these lilacs will be sending out a lovely scent in the park. This year’s Lilac Festival is cancelled like every other festival in 2020.

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Day 21: What I am doing to relax—reading. I read seven books in April. I think that’s a record number. These are the five I read for the Unread Shelf Project.

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Day 22: Communication—a family Zoom birthday party.

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Day 23: Outside. The one saving grace is that the parks and trails in our county have remained open. We walk for 2-4 miles every day we can. This is Genesee Valley Park.

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Day 24: Texture–a watercolor card with lots of texture.

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Day 25: Something that marks today–we walked another section of the Lehigh Valley Trail. It was a gorgeous day, and I could have taken photos of the ice cream cones we got on the way home, but I didn’t! This part of the trail went through Rochester Junction—a stop on the Black Diamond Railroad.

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Day 26: Something you look forward to–we had a tour of Scotland scheduled for August. They’ve rebooked it for August of 2021. I hope it’s possible by then.

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Day 27: A show of appreciation–a thank you card I made as part of my #100DayProject–coloring something every day.

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Day 28: Cozy–a corner in my craft room.

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Day 29: An achievement–finishing five books from my shelves of unread books for the Unread Shelf Project Bingo game.

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Day 30: A celebration–a great way to end the month. Matt and Betsy drove over. They all stayed in the car, and we got to talk to the girls from the sidewalk. It was the first time we’d seen them in seven weeks, although we have had a couple video chats.

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And an award to you if you lasted through this very long post! I gave thought to dividing it into two parts, but just kept on going. It’s been a fun project, and ended up being a good summary of a month during the pandemic. Thanks, Sandie, for the inspiration!

 

OLW: March Recap and April Intentions

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I continue to be grateful that I chose to set intentions month by month this year since March certainly was not the month we expected. By the time we returned from a wonderful week with Sarah and her family, it was clear that traveling to Hawaii and California were out of the question. Fortunately we took care of most of our cancellations before the wait time on phones reached an hour or more. In just a week we were in self-isolation where we have stayed except for a daily walk and a weekly trip to the grocery store. 

Once I realized I was going to be home WAY more than normal, I took a second look at my intentions for my OLW, COMMIT, for March. After about a week of having difficulty staying focused, I made a list of “To Do Items for Imposed Seclusion.” Being a list maker at heart, I immediately felt better and began to be more productive. I didn’t put organizing, cleaning, or purging on the list, but I’ve been doing little bits and pieces of that as well.

First on the list were two items that have been on my mental to-do list for months, even a year or two. About two years ago, I realized that I could be cutting my stamped images with my Cameo. I watched a few videos, but frankly I’m intimidated by technology I don’t really understand. In August, Sarah gave me a tutorial, but I never felt independent. Finally, with another tutorial from Sarah at the beginning of the month, I have mastered the art of cutting out my stamped images. I’m still working out some details, but here’s a look at two bunnies I die cut with the Cameo and then watercolored.

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The second task has been copied over and over and over on my weekly lists. At long last, I have all our photos from our road trip in September edited and up on SmugMug. If you’re interested, you can find them here. There are a lot of photos, but the format on SmugMug allows you to look at them very quickly. 

I kept up with my watercolor practice, watched a series of videos on layering stamps (and started practicing with those), and kept up with the Photo-a-Day project.

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A note on the photo of Hannah on the top row with a Band-aid on her forehead. She woke up in the middle of the night and told Sarah her head hurt. Sarah asked if a Band-aid would help, and she thought it would. She wore it for several days! I must say the hardest thing about this isolation is not being able to see my grandchildren. We stay away from everyone now, although we do, gratefully, get to video chat with everyone. It’s clear there will be no personal photos of grandchildren in April, but hopefully I’ll get a few from their parents. Although there was snow in March (see the snow on the daffodils on the 23rd), there quickly were signs of spring in the park, and the daffodils on the kitchen table are from our back yard, as is the hellebore. I found the hanging basket of pansies at the grocery store that are now outside our kitchen window. Many of the photos are from our daily walks.

Last, I kept up with The Unread Shelf Project, finishing Ann Patchett’s debut novel, The Patron Saint of Liars. It had been on my shelf for years, a paperback copy that I purchased at a used book store somewhere. I also finished four other books: Apeirogon, Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say, The Hope of Glory, and Dear Edward. I enjoyed all of them, but was especially fascinated with Apeirogon by Colum McCann. It’s the most inventive novel I’ve ever read, and a tragic commentary on a true story of two fathers, one Israeli and one Palestinian, whose daughters were killed as a result of the ongoing conflict. The two men now travel around the world telling their stories, hoping to inspire an end to the bitter conflict. 

 

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So April. It’s going to be a lot of the same: daily walks (fortunately the parks and trails here are still open and people have been great about keeping appropriate distance from one another), lots of reading (I have a list of six–two new and four on the unread shelf), continuing to play with watercolor (I have a new set of watercolor markers I’m anxious to try), and working on the second online course Tracy gave me for Christmas—Copic Jumpstart with Sandy Allnock. So it looks like lots of coloring is in store. The biggie on the list is getting started on making a photo book. Some of you know well, I’ve been promising to do this for years! Like the Cameo, for some reason I’ve always been intimidated by making a serious photo book. I figure now is the time. I’m also going to keep up the photography habit, including in my daily search items from Sandie’s 30 Day Photo Challenge, and Kim Manley Ort’s 30 Days of Perception.

I hope you are well, and keeping busy. It’s easy to get discouraged during this unprecedented time. Every day I lift up my gratitude to all those in the front lines of this pandemic, and all the workers providing essential needs. And my prayers for all those who have lost their livelihood, are ill, frightened, overwhelmed, lonely, and in need of comfort. I’m blessed to be where I am, and who I am with right now. And I certainly don’t take it for granted. 

The New Normal

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We arrived home from Wisconsin two weeks ago Sunday afternoon. By Monday morning, news of the coronavirus had become dire enough that we began cancelling all the moving parts of a planned 17 day vacation to California and Hawaii. It’s taken almost two weeks to get everything taken care of as best we can. As disappointing as it is, it pales in significance to the people whose lives have been totally disrupted and upended by the virus. My prayer list now includes all those whose livelihood is jeopardized by the closure of almost all businesses and cancellations of major events, those suffering from the virus, and the many, many health care workers and caregivers offering their skills and risking their lives to those who are ill.

We have gone from one confirmed case of the virus in our county last week to a total of forty-six this afternoon. The governor of New York and our local officials have moved swiftly and consistently to the current situation where people involved in non-essential services/businesses are required to stay home. We are allowed to leave our homes to get groceries, go to the pharmacy, and take a walk—as long as we stay appropriately distant from anyone we encounter. It’s all transpired so quickly. A week ago Thursday night, my interfaith book group met here. No one would consider such a meeting today.

On Monday we felt comfortable walking outside with Matt and the girls, but now even that level of contact is gone. We cancelled Tracy’s birthday dinner celebration, and are relying on video contacts now even though they live just over a mile away.

Walks are the saving grace. It’s good to get out of the house once a day, and we’re accumulating steps in numbers we haven’t seen in a long time.

We try to find a new route each day. Monday it was the Brickyard Trail with the girls.

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Betsy had given Skylar (8) and Ella (5) a list of 10 things to look for on their walk. All the schools in New York are closed indefinitely, and both of my children are now homeschooling their children. Sarah is also trying to work from home, so it’s a challenge. Her church (as well as ours) is also closed indefinitely, but both churches are providing worship experiences for their congregations online. Our church is live streaming a service each Sunday. My Lenten Study Group met via Google Meet on Tuesday.

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Maddy (3) walked part way, and rode part way.

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The end of the trail.

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On Wednesday, we walked the Erie Canal path from the Jewish Community Center to the lock on Clover Street.

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Not a sign of spring on this walk. You can see the lock in the distance.

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Thursday, we took our longest walk. We walked to Mt. Hope Cemetery. Frederick Douglass (famous abolitionist) and Susan B. Anthony (women’s rights activist) are both buried here.

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Yesterday the temperature was in the 60’s, and we took an early walk before the high winds and rain began. The high today is not quite 30°.

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There were, however, some signs of spring walking through the city neighborhoods.

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It’s taken me some time to adjust to the new normal, and get productive. I finally made a list early this week of creative projects to work on and as part of my OLW, COMMIT, decided that working on two different projects each day would be a good start. So far, so good, so there will be some blog posts coming more regularly now.

 

 

Five in Five & the OLW March Editions

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Today’s the fifth of March, and for once, I am ready with my Five in Five photos for Sandie’s meme. The task is to take as many photos as you can (or want) in five minutes and post just five of them. Knowing I needed to publish my intentions for March, I thought I’d photograph some of what I’ve been working on while we’re visiting Sarah. My creative intention this month is to spend some time exploring watercolors. One way I’m doing it, is with this book:

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I’ve purchased other books on watercolors, but this is the best one, by far! I’ve read and reread some of the introductory pages, and just started some of the exercises. Here’s one of the first:

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The author recommends buying a set of student grade watercolors, but I’ve owned some Daniel Smith, professional grade watercolors for a long time. The next exercise requires some mixing, and it will probably take me some time to figure out the “recipes” for the specific colors we’re going to need for later lessons. The smaller palette in this photo was a recent purchase the bottom six wells were prefilled with colors I didn’t own, and I filled the top three with new colors I’d recently bought.

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I discovered this lovely brush and pen holder on a calligraphy blog I follow, and it’s perfect for traveling.

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After playing around yesterday, and throwing out quite a few experiments that didn’t pan out, I had an urge to paint something that could eventually become a card. This lovely hydrangea by Gina K fit the bill.

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I”m also watching some Altenew videos in watercolor classes I’ve subscribed to and never finished. So there’s the five in five and the major intention for March.

In addition, I’ll be trying to finish one book from my unread shelves. I’m in the midst of Lenten devotional reading (Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion Through Ten Objects and The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross) as well as reading two library books, so I’ll be grateful to get just one book off the unread shelf. And because I enjoyed the photo-a-day project last month, I’m planning to continue that as well. 

OLW: Commit-February Recap

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I’m really enjoying setting intentions on a monthly basis. For February, I started out with four, and added a fifth shortly after the month began.

  1. Complete the Simplified Photos class: I watched all the videos. Frankly, I knew 85-90% of the material presented. I did learn about a new iPhone app called Color Story. No surprise to me, I already had it on my phone and had never used it. I’ll be giving it a try, but most of the time I upload the photos to my computer and edit them in Lightroom and/or Photoshop Elements.

        2. Take a photo-a-day. Accomplished! Here are 29 of them; there were several more.

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It’s a good mix of wintery photos, home activities, a couple family events, and quite a few wildlife photos which surprises me some. 

  1. Complete the Colored Pencil: Jumpstart class. Also done; I learned a lot in this class and will be applying what I learned over many months. I started a sketchbook for practice images some of which I’ll probably use for cards.
  1. Read one book for the Unread Shelf Project. I finished five books in February and three of them were from my unread shelves: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith, and Hashtag Authentic: Be Your Best Creative Self via Your Instagram Online Presence.

Tender          Hashtag      Pigrimage

I enjoyed all of them, but I particularly liked Timothy Eagan’s A Pilgrimage to Eternity which includes among many other things, a wonderful history of Christianity and Europe—much of which I didn’t know well. I also got a lot out of Hashtag Authentic. I don’t post much on Instagram, but much of the information in the book was a wonderful refresher about photographing the mundane and the everyday.

In addition to the unread shelf books, I read two new books I borrowed from the library Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains, and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things: A Story of Unlearning and Relearning God. After reading the last book, I enrolled in Sarah Bessey’s email subscription program. I’m already using her Forty Simple Practice for Lent and am enjoying the emails she sends with links to many fascinating and inspiring articles and videos.

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  1. After reading about Honoré’s LOAD (A scrapbook Layout A Day) project, I decided to do a card-a-day. By the end of the month I had completed 29 cards—most of which have been mailed or are ready to be mail in the next month. I didn’t made a new card every day, but some days I made several. You can see some of them here, here, and here. And more will be posted once the recipients have them in their hands.

All in all, it was a great month for the the OLW commitments. March will be much lighter in intentions as we are only at home for 12 days, and most days are pretty packed with appointments, volunteering, meetings, and of course, some social engagements. 

5 in 5: February

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Much to my surprise (and dismay) I totally missed Sandie’s 5 in 5 meme in January. And, to be truthful, when her post popped up in Feedly yesterday, I was surprised to realize it was already the fifth of February. Not to worry, though, she kindly gives us until the 25th to post five photos taken in five minutes. Although the month has barely begun, I’m already struggling to keep my intention of a photo every day. Thank goodness we have some lovely flowering house plants! But I was determined to get five photos today, and stepped out onto the patio to see what I could find. About three inches of new snow fell last night, and although it warmed up enough today to rain part of the afternoon, there’s still snow on the ground. According to the meteorologist, we can count on up to another foot of snow by this time tomorrow night! I’m not a fan. But here’s what I found in my five minutes on the patio.

Right off, I saw the deer tracks going across the patio. If you look closely you’ll see the deer walked to the right of the fire pit and off to the right. Sunday night when we pulled out of the driveway, four deer (one with a large rack) were walking out of our yard into our neighbor’s yard. We live in a pretty urban area, and many people are surprised to hear we regularly have deer and fox in the neighborhood.

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Normally, this pretty ornament would be sitting among some plants and flowers. Today there’s a totally white background.

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The chairs for the patio table never made it to the shed in the fall. Our first heavy snow was early in November and the leaves hadn’t even fallen off the linden tree. Everything got off schedule.

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The bird house Tracy purchased as a decoration has actually housed a few birds over the years. It’s going to need to be straightened up come spring.

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And finally, the metal bird on the new fence. By tomorrow, it will likely be totally obscured.

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I gave some thought to waiting until next weekend when the George Eastman House will open the Dutch Collection exhibit. The mansion will be filled with beautiful spring flowers, but I’ve used that in the past for the February 5 in 5, and frankly, these photos are the reality here in February, not the Dutch bulbs.

 

Photowalk #27: Bloedel Reserve

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Our first stop after Seattle was Bainbridge Island. We caught a morning ferry and arrived in Winslow, a charming town, just as the stores opened. I didn’t take any photos in Winslow, but I did do some shopping. I bought a lovely necklace which I wore to the wedding in Portland later in our trip, and a fabulous sling bag which I used nearly every day of our trip. It functioned as a purse and a camera bag with room for a lightweight fleece or rain jacket. Winslow has one of the nicest travel shops I’ve every encountered. 

After a nice lunch at a diner in Poulsbo, we drove to the Bloedel Reserve which we had read about in our preparation for the trip. The pamphlet that accompanies the map describes the reserve as “a living work of art, a museum in nature.” It was quiet the day we were there, and we had the walking trails mostly to ourselves. It is indeed, a “tranquil” experience and would be perfect as a spot for “meditation and reflection.” We enjoyed it as a chance to stretch our legs before heading to the Olympic Peninsula and a lovely spot for some photographs. I originally intended this as a post for “5 in 5” for September, but had difficulty uploading photos to my computer on this trip.

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This photo was originally planned for the Summer Scavenger Hunt: #9- a bridge, as well as #7- a curving path (of sorts.)

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The Bloedel Reserve was originally owned by Virginia and Prentice Bloedel who owned the property for nearly 30 years, after purchasing it in 1951. This home, built in 1931 served as their residence fro 1951- 1986. Mr. Bloedel believed in the “restorative power of nature” and interestingly, was color-blind so was more interested in creating a scenery of textures rather than colorful flowers. The home is now used for concerts and other gatherings.

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One of our favorites on the reserve was the Japanese Garden. This shows the sand and stone garden.

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All along the paths were benches for sitting and reflection. I thought the tree roots that “framed the bench” were fascinating.

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I liked this plant, but have no idea exactly what it is. I would have enjoyed having some signage that told the names of some of the more unusual plants. (Although, truthfully, they may only have been unusual to me!)

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And a closer look.

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The next stop on our road trip was the Olympic Peninsula-coming soon!