Happy New Year

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It is hard to imagine that another year has come and gone, but thankfully, tonight, I am off the roads to enjoy a relaxing start to the new year. I am posting this picture of a bluebird to remind all of us to be happy this coming year. Remember that you don't have to have a lot to do this. Just be content with the little daily joys you encounter. Let the drama go. Most of the time, the things we worry about do not come to pass, and, even if they do, we usually make it through better than expected.

Be safe and take care of yourself in 2009! :)

I'm still here

Still here even though it's been a long time since I posted. I am back to my hobby of photography, so I have been posting to flickr.com a lot. :)

Sci Fi images? No, they are here in your back yard...

Look closely enough in your own back yard, and if you are lucky, you might see things and creatures that look like they are straight out of a sci fi movie.

Here are a few that caught my eye... ;)

Spider on the Magnolia Tree

This weekend, I was supposed to attend a family reunion, but threats of rain kept us at home. While hanging out at my grandmother's house, I decided to take a walk around her yard. The wind was blowing in chilly gusts as I took these photos of her magnolia tree.

A little spider caught my eye. The spider would crawl to the opposite side of the magnolia leaf as I took a photo. I would turn the leaf over and take another, and once again, the spider would hide on the other side of the leaf. We had a little dance with the wind serving as our choreographer.








The most interesting find in her back yard was a barbecue grill that needed a bit of mowing! :)

Snow pictures in spring

Yes, I know it is springtime and the grass is already green and the roses are in full bloom, but I still want to post a picture or two from a late winter snowfall out by the lake. Enjoy! :)

Winter reflections...

Even though it is still a bit too chilly to be outside for long and the trees are still bare, there is beauty to behold. Today, there were little waves on the water, and several logs floated by on their way to the levee. I have my eye on those logs. When they get in close enough to the bank of the pond, I plan to pull them out and use them for firewood in the outdoor fireplace. I will try to do that before too long. Maybe next weekend...

On days like this, I open my doors and windows to let the air circulate throughout the house. If it gets a bit cold inside, I just throw on an extra jacket and enjoy the fresh breezes as I do my chores for the day.

I rested well last night. Perhaps it was due to a calming website I found yesterday. I located a free I-tunes talk radio station called Meditation 24/7. The part I heard was a 20 or 30 minute relaxation exercise that helped you to rest your mind and body. I think the program repeats itself over in a recorded loop so that if you miss part of it, you can catch up on the next go round.
Try it out if you get a chance. :)

On a slightly different note, as I was looking out across the lake yesterday, I was reminded of the first year I lived here. At the time, the neighbors did not have the many hound dogs that roam the place now. Before the hounds, my nightly entertainment included watching the parade of woodland creatures visit my deck. I would set out food scraps for the critters. Over that first year, I got to see foxes, raccoons, opposums, armadillos, deer, and many other animals in my back yard. I miss having them stop by for a late night snack. They were fun to watch.

Before I wrap up for the day, I think it is time for a my own late night snack. On the menu for this evening...a warm buttered biscuit drizzled with a little bit of alfalfa honey! Goodnight all...

Fun with Melodrama...listen to old time radio shows

I have found a some fun websites that offer free downloads of old radio shows. With my dial-up connection here at home, it takes a little bit of time to save the items to disk, but I can then listen to them off-line as well.

There's a variety of shows including comedies, drama/mysteries, westerns, and my personal favorites-science fiction shows. How can you go wrong with such cheesy yet great titles like, "X minus 1" and "PLANET MAN"?

If sci fi is not your cup of tea, take a walk along the seedy city streets with one of the private eyes like Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator. In Barry's world, there's always a blond dame in trouble and a shadowy figure lurking on every street corner. Somehow, he dodges all the bullets and solves the case without even breaking a sweat.

If you are looking for a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon or the antidote to nausea induced by excessive daily news and an overdose of reality TV, turn the lights down low, grab a tasty snack, and let these fun melodramas take you back in time...and...SPACE!!!

Listen to a few of these and let the stress of the day melt away. A word of caution though...don't be surprised if you find yourself speaking in a more theatrical tone and walking with a bit of a swagger! All those guys and dames that you meet later on might think you are off your rocker. They might even think you're out of this world! :)

To find the free old time radio shows, you can do a keyword search on the topic, or you can visit this website:

http://www.radiolovers.com/allshows.html

Have fun and enjoy your day!

Swimmy the Deer

I had a nice day here at the lake. It was sunny but still a bit too cool to get outside much. I did get to catch up on a lot of chores today, so hopefully, tomorrow, I will have more time to simply relax and enjoy the weekend.

I came across this picture that I took last summer. To my surprise, I noticed a deer swimming in the lake. It made several laps that day and was spotted several times that week enjoying the cool water. I named the deer "Swimmy."

It was fun watching the deer take to the water like that. I'd never seen one do that and I haven't caught a glimpse of Swimmy since.

Peeking out of my shell...

Well, I have been away from my computer for months now. I plan to come back out of my shell and return to blogging. :)