maggie's world

'BRINGING IN THE SUNSHINE' - KAWARTHA ARTIST GALLERY AND STUDIO SHOW

2012-02-17T17:40:00.013-05:00

Although this show opened on Sunday, February 5th, it will run until Thursday of the coming week. I have been in a few shows put on by the Kawartha Artist Gallery and Studio(KAGS). I've decided to begin featuring each show I enter in from here on out.
This show has some outstanding artists! The majority of this show is painters, a few photographers, and a couple of mixed media pieces. There are a number of phenomenal artists in this show, so I am listing their names and will include a few samples of different artist's work at the Gallery.
Personally, I was honoured by one of my pieces being picked for the poster, the flyer and a bookmark KAGS does for each show presented.

Some members participate is almost every show. Some prefer to select definite ones to perform and attend. I am one of the latter.
This area of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Port Hope, Trent Hills Region have some phenomenal artist to feature. Here is a list of the artist's that participated in 'Bringing in the Sunshine'. If you google any of these names, you can get info on the artist himself/herself and go from there, if interested.

Jaan Teng, Nancy Simmons Smith, Linda Paterson, Kim Tucker
Lisa Masters,Tom Young, Cathy Rowland,Sue Cowan, Angela McCumber,Judi Waymark, Elaine Goselin, Nan Sidler, Marilyn Simpson, Elli Urquhart, Vera Penrose, Susan Sydney, Gail Hawkins, Bobby Rowland Paterson, Daphne Molson, Linda McFadden, Bob Lockie, Sharon Taylor, Margaret Tough, Krista Quellette and, of course, myself.

Here is a sampling of just some of the fantastic work submitted for this show!

This is a non-profit gallery so each artist that sells a piece(s) at these shows keeps all the revenue.
On Sunday, February 26th, a new show will begin strictly for photographers. This show will be called 'Transitions' At the moment, I'm trying to decide which pieces to enter. I now have my canvases in hand for the Peterborough Hospital Foundation Exhibit beginning in mid-March. I may put a couple of those pieces in the 'Transitions' show. If I could sell a couple, it would help defray the costs for the hospital show. Hmmm, decision to make!

AHH, THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

2012-01-29T01:48:00.018-05:00

I really love living where we get four seasons. Today, was one of those days, especially.
I just woke up this morning to very large snowflakes coming down and over the next few hours it accumulated so beautifully. It was the kind of snow that's slightly damp, so it sticks to the trees and paints such a beautiful landscape. If I hadn't had so much to get accomplished today, it's the kind of snow I love to go for a walk. Although, yes, it's cold enough to snow, it somehow gives off a warm and sheltered feeling.
Grant it, it's not the best for driving in, especially if the snowploughs aren't out right away to clear the roads. My husband drives limousine and he did have to go out later in the day, but he said the roads were pretty good by that time.
Me, I love looking out our picture window and just watching it fall. The little chickadees were busy eating from the feeders and seemed completely oblivious of whatever the weather.
A few hours later it had warmed up more and already that picturesque scene had started to melt away....sigh!
Overall, we've had a very easy winter to date. I would love a few more days of that soft, large, flaky snowfall before the spring comes.
There is something romantic about the snow. I want to get out next time and photograph like crazy.
Got to the love the great white north....I know, I do.
I have a shop on Etsy and for the first time did, what they call a 'treasury' today. You promote other artists work that you admire. I called mine 'GREAT WHITE NORTH WINTERS'. I'm including just a couple of the wonderful Canadian photographer's pieces of winter I featured in my treasury. Is this not beautiful photography? Is winter not just so beautiful!

HanShen

Jeannette Loney

FESTIVAL OF TREES........NOVEMBER, 2011

2012-01-27T09:32:00.008-05:00

This is an event our city has held for 21 years. The purpose is to raise funds for health services in our city. In 2010, $210,000 was raised. As yet, the figures for 2011 haven't been published. In the past, it has been held at one location. In 2011, however, they decided it was time to try something different. So, they called it 'City Sidewalks' and almost all the events were held in the downtown core. Most of the shop owners participated and many of the events were held at a local upscale nightlife spot, called 'The Venue'. It was indeed different and feedback was both positve and negative about the changes.I've had the privilege of designing, donating and decorating a tree which is offered up for sale, auctioned or raffled off. I have done this for the past four years. Along with the funds raised, many people enjoy some or all of the events that take place over most of a week. Last year, it was held the last week of November. Here is the link to see what it was all about..

www.pfot.org

I just love coming up with new ideas for the tree I do. This year was no different. I decided on a white tree with orange, rust and crystals to add impact. For the event, the venue is dimly lit, so the lights and decor from the trees really pops. As each year has passed, the Festival of Trees committee tell me they look forward to seeing what I come up with and say they aren't disappointed. Fortunately, each year my tree sells fairly quickly..whew! Here is my tree for 2011!

WHERE DO I BEGIN..........OH, MY!

2012-01-24T20:27:00.008-05:00

Sadly, once again, I've been remiss in posting on a regular basis. It's now been two months so it's a bit disconcerting to decide where to begin.
I've decided that I will start back where I left off and over the next few days just do some highlighting.
After many frustrating experiences, I've now managed to get my father into assisted living. My brother and I have set him up with new furniture and tried to make this transition as pleasant as possible. Initially, my father gave me a lot of grief, but when I finally explained he had no choice in the decision, he seemed to come around. It's so difficult explaining to someone they are incapable of safely looking after themselves and they have a disease called Alzheimer's that prevents them from doing so when they think they are perfectly fine. At this writing, my brother and I now have Power of Attorney and have taken over his affairs completely. For my father, we now know he's safe on a daily basis, getting fed properly, getting his medications administered properly, his personal hygiene is managed better and he actually has people to interact with on a daily basis if he so chooses.
This has been difficult for me as my father and I have never been 'warm and fuzzy' with each other, so it's rather ironic that this responsibility has landed in my lap primarily. Ah, life has so many lessons to teach us! For me, I've learned more tolerance and compassion and forgiveness for someone like my Dad. He was always such a proud, stubborn and energetic man. To see him in his present state is tough regardless of our relationship. Life has handed him some tough lessons and experiences as well.
I'm not sure, at this point, what he thinks or feels. When I go to see him, however, he appears somewhat grateful, somewhat relieved and a little less fearful.
Who knows what lies ahead, but I can only hope someone will help me out if I should end up with this cruel disease as well.

These pictures were taken in May 2010. He now looks so frail, by comparison....sad! He is now 92 years old. It's an odd coincidence that he and his sister (the two oldest) are now the only surviving siblings of five in his family. For my generation, my brother and myself(the two oldest)are the only two surviving siblings of four. Strange!

PONDERING.....HMMM!

2011-11-20T22:06:00.013-05:00

The title is somewhat a clue of where and what I've been up to lately. Yes, pondering.

I'm pondering what direction I should go with my photography next, pondering what my steps should be regarding my father who is undoubtly at a concerning level of dimentia, pondering what plans to make for Christmas, pondering what to bake for Christmas holidays, pondering who to invite for Christmas or to spend it quietly at home, pondering why some people are a disappointment, pondering how many people I may have disappointed and so on and so on.

It kind of gives you the idea why posting has been on my list, but my brain is slightly on overload at the moment.

The truth be known, I'd much rather be spending the bulk of my time going to different locations and shooting whatever I'm drawn to that particular day. My heart continues to tell me I could be SO good at the photography, but I need to be more patient with myself. When I have quiet moments, I am reassured I should continue to follow my passion. I sometimes feel selfish as I feel right now, I would love more 'me' time.

I was going through a box of clippings I've cut out and saved over time and came across this article I saved out of a newspaper. I have no idea of the author or when I cut it out. It's kind of karma, that I should find it at this particular time.

Here is the clipping I saved....

Ponder and know that HOW you live is YOUR choice alone!

The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve.

Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity.

An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.

As you grow, your associates will change.

Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are.

Friends that don't help you climb will want you to crawl.

Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream.

Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider this: Never receive counsel from unproductive people.

Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how.

Not everyone has a right to speak into your life.

You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person.

Don't follow anyone who's not going anywhere.
With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it.
Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life.
Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships.

If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate - for the good and the bad.

Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends.

Yes...do love, appreciate and be thankful for your family, for they will always be your family no matter what.

Just know that they are human first and though they are family to you, they may be a friend to someone else and will fit somewhere in the criteria above.

"In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us.

In Adversity We Know Our Friends."

"Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them."

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you have to develop the habit in little matters.

Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude."

P.S...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, LINDSAY!

Your entire family loves you!

BILL HORNBOSTEL .... ANOTHER TALENTED ONTARIO PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-11-03T23:42:00.008-04:00

Bill Hornbostel is a relatively new member of the Spirit of the Hills Arts Association which we both belong to in our area.
I had the privilege of 'sitting' with Bill at the Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival Juried Art Show earlier this year. He was most gracious and put up with so many questions I had for him.
The more I speak to other photographers, the more blown away I am at how much I still have to learn.
My apparent ability at composition is something many tell me is a gift. Since I don't know any different and I trust these people's opinions, I am flattered, to say the least.
I will admit when I speak to photographers, such as Bill, I am so envious and yet chomping at the bit, to learn and soak in all that I hear.

Thank you, Bill for giving me some of your time. In his own words, here is the interview of one fantastic photographer.

When did you first get interested in photography?
I first had a bit of interest in photography back in high school; out of curiosity, I took a course in it, and learned the basics of shooting and printing.
What kind of camera was your first and what do you use now?
My first camera was a Nikkormat ELW; a film SLR and a good, solid piece of machinery. Nowadays, though, I’ve switched to digital, and I use a Pentax K-20D.

What, in your opinion, are the advantages and disadvantages between ‘point and shoot’ and ‘DSLR’?
A point-and-shoot camera can be good because it is compact; it can also be good for learning the basics of shooting. However, point-and-shoot cameras have serious limitations when it comes to having control; many lack advanced controls, while on others they are buried beneath layers of menus.
A DSLR, on the other hand, gives a shooter much more control over the shot. It is bulkier, though, and with extra lenses, filters, etc., there ends up being a fair bit to haul around.

What type of pictures do you tend to shoot the most?
I tend to shoot landscape photos the most. In the area around Port Hope, that usually ends up being farmland, forest, and lake scenes.

What type of art, photography etc. do you have in your own home?
Most of what is on the walls in my house right now is photographs; however, there are also some oil paintings and watercolours waiting to be hung.

What is one tip you’ve learned to improve your photography?
Keep experimenting, trying new things, whether it is fiddling around with the settings on the camera, or trying out new compositions, or working on new ways of processing the results of what was shot. Through constant experimentation, one becomes a better photographer.

What type of photography is more difficult for you?
That would be portraiture. I am more accustomed to the quiet stillness of the places devoid of people.

Is there a particular photo you just haven’t managed to shoot yet, but you really would like to get?
Painting with light is one of the odder things which I have been meaning to experiment with, but the necessary condition (long nights) have not yet come around again.

Who influenced your love of photography?
Art Wolfe. A few years ago, seeing some of his work reawakened my interest in photography, which had been dormant for a long while.

Name one photographer you admire living or dead and why.
The artist I most admire is not a photographer, but rather a painter, Caspar David Friedrich. He was a German Romantic painter from the late eighteenth/early nineteenth centuries, and his works have a dramatic and evocative quality that I have sought to emulate in some of my work.

Which shot, up until now, are you most proud of?
One of the shots of which I am most proud is a shot I took at dawn on the shore of Lake Ontario during the winter.

What awards or acknowledgements have you received thus far, if any?
In August, my photograph "Town Hall in False Colour Infrared" won third place prize at the juried photography show in Warkworth.

Please visit Bill's website at:

www.billhornbostelphotography.com

If you would like to leave a comment, I know Bill would very much appreciate it. Bill, continued success and I hope one day we can do some shooting together.

4th ANNUAL KEENE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

2011-10-26T19:00:00.006-04:00

The weekend that just passed is a pretty big deal in the Village of Keene, where I happen to live.
The was the fourth year for this event which offers something for all ages, however, the main focus is really the children. For me, this was the very first one I've attended and participated in as I've been at one of my daughter's homes when it has taken place prior to this year.
Children are invited to display their carved or painted pumpkins to build a 'Pumpkin Pyramid'. Their is a costume parade, pony rides and a petting zoo, face painting and a 'Kid's Zone'. Their is a definite energy that comes from kids of all ages. Although, the weather was damp and cold, it didn't seem to affect the spirits of the children. Face painting is especially in demand.

For the adults there's also an opportunity to dress up in costume, an antique car and tractor show, a pumpkin pie contest, raffles, fiddlers and square dancing. The most anticipated event is the Giant Pumpkin weigh-off. This year the largest pumpkin weighed over 1100 lbs.

For all, there is the arts and crafts tent. This year I opted to rent a table and try selling my photography. At the end of the day, I decided this was not a venue for photography. Now, if you were offering food, sweets or baking those were a huge hit.

Last but not least, there was a beer tent and the day ended with a Ham n' Harvest Church Supper.
I didn't get a chance to see some of it as I was at my own table. As someone who had not attended or participated before, I was really impressed. The organizers and the town in general did an amazing job.
People in the Village really get involved. Many driveways and entrances to homes were decorated very impressively.
If you are curious and would like to attend next year, hear is the website link...
www.thekeenepumpkinfestival.com

MAGGIE'S STUDIO TOUR OVER.....A BIT DISAPPOINTING!

2011-10-21T22:53:00.012-04:00

Well, once again, it's almost a month since I've posted on my blog. There have been some family issues that needed to be handled. I've done three different art shows and of course, my own studio tour planning and implementing.
Although, I did make a little bit of money over the two day studio tour, I must admit to being slightly disappointed in the turn out more than anything.
I'm kind of scratching my head and wondering what I could have done better to draw more people. I thought I did a really good job marketing.
I posted an invite on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on Branch Out which exposes it to many, many people.
I belong to Chamber of Commerce and handed out and mailed to many members. Only one person from Chamber came. I belong to Spirit of the Hills Arts Association and posted on the website. Only one person from that group came. I sent out postcard invites to almost 150 people who I felt could make use of my photography in their various businesses. Only three people came from that mailing.
I put ads in the local Village of Keene paper, a posting in one of the local newspapers in their Calendar of Events. Posters were placed at various strategic places in town and postcards were put in a few restaurants. I did get a few people from the restaurant postcards. Some family and friends came for support as well.
I offered framed and matted photography, just matted photography in three different sizes and note cards as well.
I had baked for the event and felt I served up a nice assortment of refreshments. The people that came were very impressed and pleased at my offering to them.

I offered a draw for a framed piece of art as well.
I had a sign made for outside announcing the event with balloons attached so people would take notice driving by my place. A few people did drop in because of the sign.
My expectation was optimistically to have about 100 - 150 people come. Unfortunately, only about 35 came.
It will take me a bit of time to reflect on what could have been done better or what other things I might have done to draw more people. At the moment, however, I'm getting ready for a one day show tomorrow at the Keene Pumpkin Festival.
Disappointed, yes, but will learn from this attempt. I will definitely try again once I resolve my questions on this studio tour. I'm a little down, but more determined than ever.
Here are some pictures from the studio I set up in our family room.

LEAH MURRAY.. UP AND COMING PHOTOGRAPHER...REMEMBER HER NAME!

2011-09-28T21:03:00.013-04:00

I'm excited to present my next photographer to feature in this blog. I only recently met Leah, however, we have communicated by Facebook and email for over a year now. Following my goal to feature photographers I admire in Ontario, Leah is actually the first woman. We are both members of Spirit of the Hills Arts Association and are equally grateful for the support and encouragement we draw from this group.

Leah is also a writer and just recently got news that a piece of her poetry is about to be published. I believe there are so many great things coming her way. I'm so pleased to introduce her to my blog followers. Trust me, I do believe many will know her name in the near future!

Leah, on a personal note, I'm honoured to now call you one of my new friends...you go girl!

In Leah's own words, this is the interview as written:

When did you first get interested in photography?

I got hooked in my teens, when my dad got a job in West Germany – I can’t remember ever NOT being interested, but I definitely got hooked then. We got to travel all over Europe from there, and I did my level best to bankrupt my parents with film processing costs over that 3 years.

What kind of camera was your first and what do you use now?

The first camera I remember using was a Brownie box camera that we had when I was very little. I still have some of the prints that were made from photos taken with that camera. Now my workhorse is a Canon D20 and my daily hike camera is my iPhone.

What, in your opinion, are the advantages and disadvantages between ‘point and shoot’ and ‘DSLR’?

Point and shoot gives you freedom of movement and flexibility in a tiny package – can’t beat it for a widely varied day of shooting in multiple venues. It’s also great for a wide range of photographers from the absolute beginner to the emerging professional, especially the ones made nowadays, which have all kinds of controls to explore on-board.
DSLR gives you much better control of each individual shot, and with its interchangeable lenses, widens your options for interpretation of the image considerably. It’s heavier, though, and takes a bit more time to set up perfectly, and it requires a bit more knowledge to use successfully.
Then there are the medium and large format cameras, which are another issue altogether – I’d love to get one of these with a digital back and play around with landscapes – incredible depth of field and detail in my landscapes would be heavenly!

What type of pictures do you tend to shoot the most?

I call them “slow documentary”: I tend to explore a place thoroughly through my lenses, paying attention to the local flora and fauna and light patterns. Every place I go I find a wonderland of sorts. For the last few years I’ve been documenting a vast ruined industrial park in the town where I live. The industry that used to be there was a WWI munitions plant, and it blew up in 1918, leaving huge craters in the ground and twisted girders, crumbling foundations and massive concrete slabs tumbled everywhere. The plants that were used in landscaping went wild there, so now, 90 years later, it’s a veritable paradise of natural and escaped domestic plants, including wild berries, rosehips, a fruit bearing pear tree and two apple trees, wild carrots, bulrushes, 16 varieties of native grasses, butterfly bushes, meadow milkweed, snapdragons, vetch, loosestrife, sumac and so on. Birds and rabbits swarm there, along with garter snakes, coyotes and
deer. Right around it is a busy more modern industrial park – and none of the tenants there realize the history and ecology that’s in their back yard.

What type of art, photography etc. do you have in your own home?

I have a couple of original oil paintings by local artists, one or two prints, a collection of my own work on one wall, a dozen different kinds of small sculpture, basketry, bits of fabric and leather craftsmanship, a quilt or two, some wood carving, digitally produced art prints by another friend – it’s pretty eclectic. I like fine craftsmanship of any sort, so quality work in any form gets cherished.

What is one tip you’ve learned to improve your photography?

Look at the ordinary things around you until you see the extraordinary in them. Then photograph that, however long and hard you have to work to capture the extraordinary lurking just below the mundane surface.

When you do portrait work, what is your biggest challenge?

Doing portrait work with humans!! I tend not to do this much – I really come alive doing portraits of animals, as I find them much easier to interact with through the lens. Dogs and cats and horses and birds and sheep and goats and bulls and tigers all enjoy themselves so much in a portrait shoot that it’s impossible not to enjoy it right along with them. I’ve ended up with a few great shots of people by accident while I was photographing their animals – but I’m not a portrait photographer by any means.

What type of photography is more difficult for you?

Indoor horse and livestock shows – capturing the best portrait of the animal and handler in motion indoors is technically challenging in most of the venues AND trying to get more than an ordinary not very exciting reportage shot under such circumstances is artistically challenging. This is, of course, stuff I love to do, too!!

Is there a particular photo you just haven’t managed to shoot yet, but you really would like to get?
Yes: I’d love to get an infrared film series done on my above mentioned “slow documentary” ruins – haven’t had the money for the film and processing time in a darkroom (gave up my own black and white darkroom 3 years ago due to lack of space). It’s still burning away in my dreams, though, and I’m still harbouring hopes of someday being able to do it.

Who influenced your love of photography?

Jerry Uelsmann, Ansel Adams, Stephen Bulgar of the Bulgar Gallery in Toronto, Sorin Alb, Yousef Karsh, Bob Pearson, Freeman Patterson, Steve Curry, Daniel Cox and always Frans Lanting. A pretty eclectic list!! Locally Bob House, Bob Leahy, Ted Amsden. At home, it was my Dad, who has been a shutterbug almost all his life, and my mom, who paints with words in ways I wish I could emulate.

Name one photographer you admire living or dead and why.

Only one??? Well, I’d have to say it would be Frans Lanting: he’s combined great photographic skill, incredible creativity and good business sense and done amazing things with it. I’d love to live in his head for a while – it must be amazing in there! A paradise of things to learn and try and do!

Which shot, up until now, are you most proud of?

Hard to say: I have a couple that I really love, one of a simple bit of timothy grass backlit by the summer evening sun, and one of a deep red day lily that came out so detailed and sharp that you can almost feel the velvet on the petals – also a couple of the shots of my friend Cliff’s utterly gorgeous Arabian horses. But there’s always another image coming around the corner or up the trail, and I’ve discovered that I’m not a one-shot photographer, at least, not yet! If I ever shoot something as iconic as Steve Curry’s nomadic girl, I may fall in love with that, but so far, while I like a bunch of my images, I’m not able to name just one that stands out in my own mind as “yeah, that one, that one is as perfect as it gets!” There’s always some little bit more that I see later I could have done to perfect an image, and there’s never enough time to go back and make the best ones perfect. So I do the best I can at the time and move on – time is a river, right?

One tip you could give a relatively new photographer.
Don’t try to learn it all at once! Like living, most of the best stuff happens on the way there, and once you get there, “there” moves – it’s never HERE. So you will have to keep trying to get HERE anyhow. Don’t rush it or push it – just learn your craft at your own pace and take the time to enjoy it while you do it. It’s really a journey worth the
savouring.

How do you use social media to grow your photography business?

I shamefacedly admit that I don’t, at least not yet. Unless you count texting on my iPhone as social media! I have a Facebook page and a web site, but I’m just starting to seriously think about blogging and tweeting, even though I’ve had a Twitter account (@Old_Crone) for a while now.

What shot has eluded you so far?

The perfect Tae Kwon Do shot: I am STILL trying for one I consider really good – one that captures the spirit of the sport and the practitioners. A close friend is working toward his 3rd Dan black belt, and I go along to his tournaments and competitions sometimes to be the cheering section, taking the camera along for the ride. I love watching this stuff, especially at the black belt levels – it’s REALLY fast and furious action at that level. Hard to shoot well though!

What is your ultimate goal as a photographer?

My ultimate goal as a photographer is to combine images and words in such a way as to awaken at least one other person to the wonder of the world we live in – this is truly an amazing and magical place. So many of us walk around in the middle of it unaware and sunk in the misery of our lives rather than celebrating the awen of it all. (Awen is a Gaelic word meaning a state of rapture, bliss, total engagement, a “being in the zone” sort of mindset.)

What awards or acknowledgements have you received thus far, if any?

A few folks have been kind enough to buy my art prints – that is always very exciting because I know I’ve reached them on some level. I get minor notice in photography shows – my work isn’t spectacular or wildly innovative as yet so I tend not to stand out in a crowd. I’ve been really nicely treated by the Spirit of the Hills folks in Northumberland County, who help me exhibit and really encourage and support me in a lot of different ways besides letting me roam all over the
sheer beauty of their rolling hills! And people hire me to photograph their livestock and pets a lot – I think they notice that the animal is totally my focus above all else when I’m working with them, and they often remark on how happy the animals seem to be, doing what we are doing. I’ve done a bunch of small art photography for other artists, which I just love – doing that kind of product photography is deeply gratifying. Taking someone’s beautiful work and placing it
perfectly under exquisite lighting in studio and coming out with a photo that you can almost feel the material in is unbelievably satisfying.

Leah Murray
Photographer & Digital Imaging Artist
.

Digital Visions Imaging
leah@leahmurray.ca

www.leahmurray.ca
.
Thank you, Leah. I wish you wonderful, new things to come your way.

For my readers, there is an option to comment on my posts at the bottom of each and every post. I'd be grateful if you would comment. Comments that are positive would be great, but constructive input is also gratefully received.

MY POOR NEGLECTED BLOG!!!!

2011-09-21T17:57:00.011-04:00

Yes, I'm still alive and kicking! It's over a month since I've posted anything here and there are so many reasons why that's the case. The reasons aren't important at this point. Writer's block seemed to take over and one finds it difficult to begin again. I'm sure I'm not the only blogger who has had this experience. Rather than covering the events during my 'block', I think I'll just move forward.

Very shortly, I plan to feature another Ontario, Canada photographer whom I know personally. I happen to admire much of her work and she has been so supportive and encouraging to me. Her name is Leah Murray. She is also a writer who just found out one of her poetry pieces is about to be published.

Myself, I'm currently in a show at the Kawartha Artists Gallery with three pieces. At the opening reception, I sold one piece. Each time this occurs, I feel blessed and it adds another layer to my confidence. It's so amazing how much photography has
become a vital part of my life. I really do look at things with a completely different eye. Another piece of my photography was picked to go on the poster for this show...cool! This is the piece that sold!

On the weekend, I'm participating in two different art shows in the Town of Port Hope. The Square Foot Show that is along side the All Canadian Jazz Festival is my second year to enter. As the title of the show states, no piece can be larger than one square foot. I must say, it has a lot of impact when you walk into the show and every single piece is exactly the same size.
The second show is at the Ganaraska Art and Framing shop. I'm entering one piece only and really hope people like it. I'd be ecstatic if it sold.

In the middle of October, I'm holding a Studio Tour here at my home for my own works. I've ordered the lawn sign, ordered postcards(invites)to mail out on Monday, got pricing for a newspaper ad, posted on Facebook and will post on LinkedIn as well.
To prepare for this show, my husband has made many museum shelves to set my art on for display. We hung the shelves and positioned the art on the weekend. I'm really pleased with the overall look. It's the best I can do without renting out space. I hope it will bring more recognition and revenue.

Restraint is hard for me on many levels, but I really hope and expect to do well this weekend...I am meant to do this!

STRESS.......

2011-08-07T10:52:00.003-04:00

I decided to take a slight detour today.
A friend sent this piece on stress and I felt it should be shared. There are some wonderful truths and some statements that made me smile. Who can't use a smile from time to time, right?

STRESS.....

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all...

"How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it..

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can't push.

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

11 * Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

15 * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

19 * Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

20 * It was I, your friend!

*Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate !*

LONG LUNCH JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY ART SHOW... AUGUST 20 AND 21ST

2011-08-01T13:29:00.002-04:00

This has been a very tough week for me personally, but I have to regroup and get ready for a juried art show I've entered in Warkworth, Ontario for August 20th and 21st.

Last year at this show, I placed second and was so thrilled! It was my first win and there was a cash prize as well. That was the icing, so to speak. What meant more to me was validation that I'm on the right track doing what I love to do! The judge for this show is a photographer for MacLean's magazine. Here is the photo I won with:

As an added bonus the show committee selected this photo to be the cover for the poster and flyers and such for this year's show.

I always find it difficult to select which pieces of work to put in every time I enter a show. After a lot of thought, and many changes of mind, I finally picked three(which is the maximum you can enter). I picked a scenic shot, a nature shot, and one that I think is cool, but pretty random in category.

(MORNING FOG)

(HOLDING PATTERN)

(RELIEF)

It would be great to win or place, both for the recognition and the money, but I truly enjoy the judges critiques after they make their selections to learn for the next time....and I do try to learn something.

I have found both a website and a Facebook page called 'Photography Talk' It is fantastic and I've joined(free) and there's an amazing group of photographers willing to give input and support from all over the world. I'll post more at a later date, when I'm more comfortable with it.

This week I put new works in at the Kawartha Tourism Centre and put three framed pieces in a wonderful gift and decor shop called Bridget Anastasia's in the local area. If you live in the area, check it out. She has wonderful art, gifts and decor items that are quite different from the normal gift shops.

PROMOTING ONE'S SELF...... GETTING EASIER!

2011-07-20T20:17:00.008-04:00

Well, I've been doing photography as a serious venture for about 3 years. I began the pursuit of my creative side in a number of ways once retirement came my way. In doing so, I realized I have a passion and a growing talent for photography. I've only just begun! I can't wait to see where this takes me!

When I realized that some of my work was good enough to sell, I made a committment to get better at promoting myself and my work.

This journey has many twists and turns. What it has taught me, thus far, is I enjoy networking, however I have so much to learn. Although not 100% confident as yet, I have no doubt I will get there.

I joined the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and this is a great place to promote one's self. As a member, it allows me the privilege of a membership directory, putting my business cards at the Chamber of Commerce office downtown. Last but not least, the privilege of meeting some wonderful, wonderful people that may be interested in purchasing at some point for themselves and/or giving me referrals. At the very least, they give tremendous support.

It helps to join a selective few art associations locally, and then worldwide via the internet. Added to this, is the need to get involved on committees for various local events and charities. I'm still working on that aspect of my personal marketing, but that's getting a little easier as time goes on.

Vista Print helped me design my photography rack card. I can hand it out, mail it out and place it in critical locations around the city. It's another item potential clients can take away with them from any of the shows I'm part of. It's all about getting your name out there in both local, national and international markets. Social media is something that is here to stay and one can't underestimate the power it holds to make people aware of one's talent. I seem to be 'behind the eight ball' when it comes to the technology aspect of promotion. I'm working on it and have found great people to help me out.

My heart says I'm doing exactly what I'm meant to be doing. My confidence continues to grow. I've learned not to be afraid of the word 'No'!

I can't end this post without saying I also love to promote other photographers. For the most part, the ones I've met are quite happy to share their tips and secrets. Thank you to all those who have helped me to this point!

PHOTOGRAPHER EXTROIDINAIRE ! .... MEET JESSE BRENNEMAN

2011-07-16T14:29:00.011-04:00

Continuing with my effort to feature talented Ontario photographers amateur or professional, please meet Jesse Brenneman. I met Jesse a week ago today at the Lakefield Jazz Festival and Art Show. He and his wife were actually there to browse and listen to the jazz. They are from the Kitchener area of Ontario. We were talking and I discovered he is a photographer as well. We shared a few tips and some of our history. I was most impressed with his willingness to take some time out of his personal weekend to discuss photography so I asked if he would consider letting me do a feature...he said, 'yes'.

Here we go!...in Jesse's own words.

When did you first get interested in photography?

ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO, IN MY SECOND YEAR OF UNIVERSITY, WAS THE FIRST TIME I REALLY HAD ANY INTEREST IN TAKING PHOTOS.

What kind of camera was your first and what do you use now?

I STARTED WITH MY MOTHER’S FUJI A303 POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA, AND AFTER ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF UPGRADED TO AN SLR. I AM NOW USING A CANON 40D.

What, in your opinion, are the advantages and disadvantages between ‘point and shoot’ and ‘DSLR’?

POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERAS ARE GREAT FOR BEING COMPACT AND QUICK, AS WELL AS BEING FAR LESS COSTLY THAN SLR's. SO, I DON’T MIND TAKING MY POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA OUT IN A CANOE OR SOMWEHERE ELSE WHERE IT MIGHT GET WRECKED…I WOULDN’T DARE DO THAT WITH MY SLR. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE SLR OFFERS SO MUCH MORE DIVERSITY, ESPECIALLY IN LENSES AND FULL MANUAL CONTROLS, IN ORDER TO TAKE PHOTOS WITH MANY DIFFERENT MOODS AND EFFECTS. THE FAST FOCUSING IS A DEFINITE BENEFIT AS WELL.

What type of pictures do you tend to shoot the most?

I MOSTLY SHOOT LANDSCAPES AND ARCHITECTURE, AND REALLY LOVE TAKING THESE PHOTOS AT NIGHT. I ALSO LOVE TO TAKE PHOTOS OF PETS AND OTHER ANIMALS.

What type of art, photography etc. do you have in your own home?

AT THE MOMENT, MY WIFE AND I JUST HAVE FRAMED SETS OF PHOTOS FROM SOME OF OUR VACATIONS. BUT I HAVE PLENTY OF OLD MOVIE POSTERS STORED AWAY THAT I PLAN ON PUTTING UP WHEN WE HAVE MORE SPACE.

What is one tip you’ve learned that has improved your photography?

EXPERIMENTATION IS KEY. BEING COMPLETELY SELF-TAUGHT, I LEARNED QUICKLY THAT YOU JUST NEED TO TAKE LOADS OF PHOTOS TO LEARN THE SETTINGS AND CAPABILITIES OF YOUR CAMERA, AND TAKE EVEN MORE TO FIND COOL WAYS TO PUT THEM TO USE. ALSO EXPERIMENT WITH COMPOSITION. DON’T JUST TAKE THE ANGLE YOU FIRST THINK OF. TAKE MANY MORE…AND THEN MORE ON TOP OF THOSE…YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS VERY RARELY YOUR FAVOURITE FROM THE SET.

When you do portrait work, what is your biggest challenge?

PORTRAITS ARE TOUGH FOR ME. I FIND THAT RELATING TO THE SUBJECT IS VERY HELPFUL, BUT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO DO IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. UNDERSTANDING THE SUBJECT HELPS YOU TO LOOSEN THEM UP AND MAKE THE SHOOT FLOW EASILY AND MORE NATURALLY. BUT I FIND THIS DIFFICULT.

What type of photography is more difficult for you?

PORTRAITS. I FIND MOVING OBJECTS MORE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH, BUT THE CHALLENGE IS GREAT FUN WHEN I DO PORTRAIT SESSIONS

Is there a particular photo you just haven’t managed to shoot yet, but you really would like to get?

I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO DO SOME SUPER-LONG EXPOSURES OF THE SKY AT NIGHT TO GET “STAR TRAILS,” BUT JUST HAVEN’T HAD THE TIME LATELY TO GO PULL IT OFF

Who influenced your love of photography?

MY WIFE’S FATHER IS A VIDEOGRAPHER, AND SEEING HIS WORK WAS A LARGE INSPIRATION, AND MY BEST FRIEND WAS ALWAYS FOOLING AROUND WITH HIS CAMERA, AND WAS ANOTHER SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND KNOWLEDGE

Name one photographer you admire living or dead and why.

ACTUALLY, MY BEST FRIEND HIN FAN. HE HAS BEEN MY MAIN SOURCE OF MOTIVATION AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY. HIS PHOTOS ARE ALWAYS SO UNIQUE, AND EVERY TIME I SEE UPDATED PHOTOS ON HIS FLICKR PAGE, I AM INSPIRED TO GO OUT AND TAKE SOME MORE PHOTOS OF MY OWN.

Which shot, up until now, are you most proud of?

I AM MOST PROUD OF THIS IMAGE OF LIGHTNING OVER THE RIVER. I AM A HUGE STORM-CHASER WHEN I HAVE THE TIME. LIGHTNING IS SUCH A FUN AND FRUSTRATING SUBJECT. I SPENT ABOUT 3 HOURS DRIVING AROUND ONE NIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR STORM TO GET GREAT LIGHTNING SHOTS. I STARTED OUT IN THE COUNTRY, BUT THE RAIN WAS TOO CRAZY….IT WAS ACTUALLY SCARY. I GOT A FEW SHOTS IN, BUT THE RAIN WAS TOO HARD TO CONTINUE. SO I DROVE BACK INTO TOWN, FOLLOWING THE STORM CLOUDS, AND WHEN I GOT TO DOWNTOWN CAMBRIDGE, THE RAIN HAD STOPPED AND THE LIGHTNING WAS JUST GOING WILD. SO I GOT THE TRIPOD OUT AND STARTED CLICKING. WITH THE LONG EXPOSURE ISO REDUCTION TURNED ON, A 3-SECOND EXPOSURE TAKES ANOTHER 30 SECONDS TO REDUCE THE ISO….SO THE LIGHTNING ALWAYS COMES DURING THAT TIME. I STUCK WITH IT, AND GOT THIS GREAT LIGHTNING SHOT…I WAS ECSTATIC!!

One tip you could give a relatively new photographer…

ONE TIP I TRY TO GIVE PEOPLE IS TO EXPERIMENT WITH EXPOSURE. IT IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY STICK TO THE “RULES” THAT YOU MIGHT HEAR ABOUT. TRY FUNKY ANGLES AND TRY DIFFERENT WAYS OF FRAMING A SUBJECT. DON’T RELY TOO HEAVILY ON PHOTOSHOP. IT IS A GREAT TOOL FOR TOUCHING UP AN IMAGE, BUT LEARN THE ART OF COMPOSITION, BECAUSE PHOTOSHOP CAN’T HELP WITH COMPOSITION

How do you use social media to grow your photography business….

CURRENTLY, I ONLY USE FLICKR. I HAVE BEEN AT SCHOOL FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND TIME HAS NOT BEEN IN ABUNDANCE. BUT, FLICKR HAS BEEN A GREAT WAY OF SHARING MY WORK AND GETTING MY NAME OUT THERE VIA GROUPS

What shot has eluded you so far?

THE MOON.I REALLY WANT TO TAKE SOME GREAT CLOSE-UPS OF THE MOON, BUT HAVEN’T YET.

What is your ultimate goal as a photographer?

MY GOAL, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WAS TO LEARN HOW TO USE A CAMERA WELL ENOUGH THAT I COULD PUT SOME PHOTOS ON MY WALLS WITHOUT HAVING TO BUY ART. IT TURNED INTO AN OBSESSION TO CONTINUE TO GET BETTER PHOTOS. NOW MY GOAL IS TO CAPTURE PHOTOS ON MY TRAVELS THAT MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WANT TO HANG ON THEIR WALLS…AND HOPEFULLY SELL SOME OF THOSE PHOTOS AS ART!

What awards or acknowledgements have you received thus far, if any?

I HAVE ATTACHED ANOTHER PHOTO (A TREE LANDSCAPE) WHICH HAS WON AWARDS IN THE LANDSCAPE AND OVERALL CATEGORIES IN THE GLEN MORRIS LIBRARY PHOTO CONTEST AND WHICH WON FIRST PLACE IN THE LANDSCAPE CATEGORY, AS WELL AS THE “BEST-IN-SHOW” AWARD IN THE 2010 KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY AMATEUR PHOTO CONTEST.

THE FINAL ATTACHED PHOTO RECEIVED THIRD PLACE IN THE ARCHITECTURE CATEGORY IN THE 2011 KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY AMATEUR PHOTO CONTEST.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank Jesse and I have no doubt that his name will be recognized by many in the future.....amazing work!
If you wish to see more of Jesse's photography go to:

www.flicker.com/trdyaris
Below are a few of my favourites he sent......please enjoy!

If you like Jesse's work and want to comment or get in touch with him, you can email him at jmb.photo at yahoo.ca

DUAL HOLIDAY WEEKEND...FUN FOR ALL!

2011-07-06T14:14:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was both fun and busy for people on both sides of the border. In Canada, we celebrated 'Canada Day' on Friday, July 1st. Also, in the USA they celebrated 'Independence Day' on Monday, July 4th. It's a time when many families and/or friends get together for picnics in parks, water fun at cottages, and of course, a night of fireworks. In order to honour both countries, I hang both a Canadian and American flag on either side of our garage.

Since I lived 11 years in the USA, and my daughters both married Americans and now hold dual citizenship, I feel a connection to both holidays.
For me, a big part of 'Canada Day' was gardening, making note cards ... so pretty mundane by comparison to what many were doing. However, late afternoon my friend Marg called and invited me out for the evening.
We have a beautiful lake in the middle of our city with a bandstand. Each year from the end of May to the end of August, the city puts on 'MusicFest' which are free concerts in the park by the lake. Every Wednesday and Saturday evening they showcase various gendres of music, both local artists and from across Canada. This year, Musicfest kicked off with Natalie McMaster and her husband Donnell Leahy. For Canada Day, there are activities, cultural events and a very big concert with fireworks in the evening.
My friend, Marg has a VIP membership (which one pays a yearly donation for the privilege) which allows up close parking and a designated area to sit close to the stage. Marg, our friend Laurie, and myself had a 'girls night out'. We had a blast!
The band was local and were fantastic! They were called Keith Burton and the Footloose Band. They did impressions of such people as Shania Twain, Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, BTO, Madonna, Faith Hill, Tina Turner and Lady GaGa. Musically, they were amazing and they did their best to look like them, but that lacked a little!
Marg, Laurie and myself knew many of the words to the songs and we sang along and danced and danced....FUN!
At the end of the concert, they had a full 15 - 20 minutes of non-stop fireworks that were spectacular!!!

Afterward, we went out for coffee...yes, just coffee. We talked and talked and talked, so it was really late when I got home.

Sunday, I had my oldest brother, Dennis and my sister-in-law Bette come for the afternoon and dinner. We had spareribs, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and Greek salad. For dessert, I made my brother's favourite rhubarb and strawberry pie and served with ice cream.
Monday, I drove to Campbellford, Ontario to check out my show 'Life is Good' at the library. My one woman show will end on July 14th. Although I've only had one sale, the people at the library said there have been really great comments. A few people have come back twice to see it! Now, if only more people would purchase some pieces! Times are tough for many people, including myself, so I just need to hang in and be patient. My heart tells me I'm doing exactly what I should be and to stick with it....until!
I will be putting 5 new pieces at the Kawartha Tourism Centre this week with a summer theme.
Saturday, I'm participating in an art show at the Lakefield Jazz Festival so I'm doing all the last minute stuff to make sure I'm ready. This is my first time, so I'm looking forward to some potential sales and listening to some pretty great jazz!

GARDENING....LOVE IT AND HATE IT!

2011-06-20T23:02:00.015-04:00

We purchased the home we presently have in October 2004. We have changed the 'fingerprint' of the property unbelievably since then. At the time we purchased it, there was one very long, rather narrow garden down one side of the driveway and a so-called garden in the front by the small windows. At that time, there were huge ugly cedars blocking most of the light and the view from that end of the house. We got rid of them promptly. Since then, we have added SO many gardens around the entire property.
I love planning the gardens and my husband and I implement. I still have more I'd like to do, but as time goes on, I'm rethinking what we are capable of at this point. My husband will be 66 years old in September and I will be 64 years old in August and both of us have had some health issues so we aren't quite as impulsive as we were 7 years ago. Each 'grand idea' means more work.
Each garden has been planned, replanned and probably will change slightly as we find a 'new' plant or at least one we feel would look 'so perfect'.
I really don't enjoy gardening when it's brutally hot, but the process of planting, moving plants to locations where they might be happier, I find rather cathartic.
In all my ambitions to have an amazing, scenic property, the upkeep is quite overwhelming at times. It has become more difficult as we brought in mulch four years ago that, unfortunately, had some sort of nasty, invasive vine weed that wants to take over.
For the past few days, my husband and I have worked hours and hours hoeing, picking and pulling weeds and have now laid down a form of mulch from our own fall leaves that we shredded and put in compost cages. Let's hope we now get a rain to pack down this homemade mulch and see if the weeds stay controlled...ahhhh!,the part of gardening I hate.
Two years ago, we had curbs put around the gardens for control of the grass and to define the garden areas better. We were thrilled with the look it gives!
We have planned the gardens, such that there is something blooming at all times of the seasons, before winter hits. Even then, we leave our tall grasses up over the winter to give some design to our space,even then.
I had this grand plan to install a rock garden on one side of the house to avoid having to mow up and down this slope. It ended up being 78 feet long!
I am posting a photo from two years ago, as in it's present state this year, it has been overrun with two invasive weeds. We now have to lift all the good plants out, the rocks out, and pull and kill the weeds. The next step is to lay ground cover and compost and begin the planting all over again....frustrating to say the least.
It's continuous work, but the satisfaction of sitting in our chairs at different points of a day and feeling so comfy and satisfied at how it's all turned out...great feeling. The property actually has some warmth and character now.
I asked my husband to build me an arbor in the back corner of our property, which he finally did last year. I L-O-V-E going back there with my morning coffee. It's my sancturary.
I hope you enjoy the pictures and our efforts.

We did for the first couple of years have vegetable gardens, etc but gave up on that after realizing we had a wonderful Farmer's Market in our area with great produce and reasonable prices. The only thing we have now is rhubard and asparagus. We used to have raspberry bushes, but they just didn't produce enough, so we ripped them out this year.
If I won the lottery, I'd still like to add a very big deck to the back side of the house....but then, that's a big 'IF'!
On another post, I'll show you some other areas of the property from the sides and the back. They still haven't even been touched this year.
On the south side of the property we put in 35 lilac bushes a few years ago that our neighbours let us dig up from their property. They are finally filling up and in that side. We also planted many lilies which we will probably have to move forward this year or next as the lilacs are overtaking them.

iHeartFaces...another wonderful photography blog

2011-06-06T22:44:00.006-04:00

Check out this link to ..
www.iheartfaces.com

I have some trouble with their site posting photos, but it's only because I'm so technically challenged...I'll get it figured out eventually! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...right?

I'm doing an edit to this post to include the photo I entered into their contest theme of 'From a Distance'. I entered my blog address as I thought we weren't suppose to promote our photography websites, but apparently that's not the case...oh, well. I hope I eventually figure out how to do this type of thing the right way.

Maggie was so excited as Mommy was coming home from the hospital after having Maggie's new baby brother, Sam. So-o-o, we got dressed up and waited patiently for Mommy, Daddy and Baby Sam to get home. A big, big day!

FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHERS....A NEW FEATURE!

2011-06-02T22:53:00.007-04:00

I have had the privilege of meeting on 'social media', etc. some photographers whose work I enjoy. As a result, I've decided to feature some of them on my blog periodically.

The first photographer I want you to meet and 'hear' is Dave Powers. He resides in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada and does some really beautiful work.

When did you first get interested in photography?

My father ran the photo lab for the OPP(Ontario Provincial Police).. he was a cop. He pretty much introduced me to photography. I had access to any type of equipment I wanted but of course, as a teenager had no idea how lucky I was... I did the odd thing here and there for fun, not until I had children did I really get into photography

What kind of camera was your first and what do you use now?

My first camera was a Nikon SLR. I then moved up to Hasselblad, 120 film size, medim format...the Hasseblad was sweet camera, and the lenses were fantastic.

What, in your opinion, are the advantages and disadvantages between ‘point and shoot’ and ‘DSLR’?

The advantage of point and shoot is the ease of use. You can carry it with you anywhere, in a pocket or what ever. You can practice your compositions anytime you want. You are limited though because of the one lens focal length. A DSLR allows you so many options with lens focal length, f stops, shutter speeds, exposure and so on. Of course, they are heavier and more bulky to carry around, but with the digital world now you can do so much.

What type of pictures do you tend to shoot the most?

People pictures...I love photographing people. You can get so many moods and emotions. Right now I am also shooting architecture. I look at it like building a puzzle, a little light here, add some light over there and so on.

What type of art, photography etc. is what you have in your own home?

Artistic photos of my kids when they were under 5 years old. We have one 20x30 print, from the film days, of the kids sitting on luggage at the train station in Cobourg, very cute image. We actually went to the local blue box station, bought a hat for my son, a dress for my daughter and two pieces of luggage. I think it cost about 3 bucks...my son looks like Frank Sinatra in it...it is so cute!

What is one tip you’ve learned to improve your photography?

Get it right in the camera… proper exposure, composition and such. That is the problem with digital photography now, people buy a camera, set it to automatic and click away and then try to fix everything in photoshop. People should learn how exposure works, f stops, shutter speeds, and ISO. When learn how to do that, you open the door for your photography....

When you do portrait work, what is your biggest challenge?

Finding somewhere different to capture the images. I have no problems doing studio type work, but I really dislike it. I like to find different places to take photographs like in a bar, a hotel pool, in the middle of the street...and so on..

What type of photography is more difficult for you?

I can honestly say I don't find any of it particularly difficult anymore. I'm not at all sounding cocky or anything like that...it's just that photography is about light. If you have enough light, you can get the image, if you don't have enough, you need to know how to add the amount needed. I can pretty much shoot anywhere and anything.

Is there a particular photo you just haven’t managed to shoot yet, but you really would like to get?

I would like to photograph, in black and white, an elderly person in their late 90's.

Who influenced your love of photography?

My dad and my kids.

Name one photographer you admire living or dead?

YOUSUF KARSH a wonderful Canadian photographer. If you haven't seen his work I really recommend you check out his images on line... Which shot, up until now, are you most proud of?

http://www.karsh.org/

I actually have three images I am most proud of, two of my kids and one of a wedding. All were taken during the film years...my kids walking hand in hand under 5 yrs old, along a path at Presquile Park during the fall, beautiful colours. The one I described above and one of a bride and groom in a forest. She was walking along a path, he was in the distance, her dress made her look like a fairy princess. The light was coming through the trees ….. it was such an emotional image for them.

If you wish to contact Dave, here are some addresses ......

dave
www.dpowers.ca
facebook :
http://www.facebook.com/davepowersphotography

tweet me:
@davepowersphoto

GRANDMA AGAIN......THIRD TIME!

2011-05-19T14:05:00.010-04:00

I have had trouble getting motivated to post on my blog. There are so many reasons, but time has been the number one reason.
The wonderful news is the fact I'm a grandma again! I believe it's truly one of the rewards in our lives. My cousin's husband used to say, " Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own"! The gift granchildren give you is the unconditional love and all the fun without any of the major responsibilities...
I don't get much time with my grandchildren, but so enjoy the time when I get it!
My youngest daughter, Lindsay just had her second child on April 29th. She is blessed to have one of each now. Maggie who will be four years old in October and now Samuel Michael.
I went down to Princeton, New Jersey a week before Sam was born and then spent one week after trying to help where I could. It also gave me the opportunity to spend some fun time with Maggie. It gives one the chance to be a little silly with her and have all kinds of real and pretend adventures.
We did 'bubbles', made cookies, went to the mall, did sidewalk chalk, danced, cut paper, read books, fun at bathtime, did each other's hair, and whatever other 'mischief' we could think of doing. What fun! She is definitely one of the happiest children I know.
Sam looks just like his Daddy. If his fingers and toes are any indication, I think he's going to be quite tall.
I could go on and on, but pictures are more interesting.

Maggie the cookie baker

Maggie says Welcome Home to Mommy

Maggie loves her bubble time

Maggie's first chance to play her very personal guitar her Uncle Den made for her...

Baby Sam, as Maggie likes to call him

Family time with Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Sam

Maggie, for the most part, has always called me 'MeMe' and occasionally slips into 'Grammie'. I wonder what Sam will call me?

OPENING RECEPTION COME AND GONE...

2011-04-19T23:03:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been one week since my 'Opening Reception' for my three month long photography show 'Life is Good'.
I had no idea what to expect, but had high hopes there would be a great turn out. From my perspective, I was just slightly disappointed in the numbers, but was told it was a good turn out. There were 20 who came to support me and I am truly grateful.
With all the advertising that went out, I thought there might be more people come who didn't know me, but that wasn't the case.
That being said, I was so touched by my friends and family that took time out of their busy schedules to attend.
My really big surprise came when my lifelong girlfriend and her husband drove from Toronto to surprise me. Boy, was I surprised! They also purchased a piece.
My five cousins who are so important to me also came to support me.
Some members of the Spirit of the Hills Arts Association came to give added support as well.
I am truly blessed on so many levels and must continue to remember that fact.
Yes, life is good!

BIG WEEK COMING!

2011-04-09T20:33:00.001-04:00

Well, once again I've been remiss about posting to my blog.
Without going in to details, I've been having a few health issues which we are still trying to get resolved. I hope to have a better idea what's going on this week when I go see a specialist...it's very frustrating to do test after test and no one can definitively answer what is causing all this nonsense! I'm optimistic I'll get an answer or two this week!

This is my really big week when considering my photography.
The 'Opening Reception' for my 'One Woman' three month show is this coming Tuesday, April 12th, 6 - 8 PM! I have hung approximately 30 pieces at the Trent Hills Library in Campbellford, Ontario, CANADA and they will hang for three months. Since this is my very first 'solo' show, I'm both excited and yet a little apprehensive. I have many expectations for this show on many levels. Certainly a few of those reasons are monetary, personal recognition and feedback, of course! Artists need somewhat of a thick skin. It doesn't take long to realize not everyone will like your work, however, both positive and negative critiques can really help as I move forward.

The Kawartha Tourism Centre is going to hang 4 - 5 of my pieces. This is the first time photgraphy will be included in their giftshop! Woohoo!
I will stick to seasonal photography as requested. I'll post different pictures based on the season we happen to be in at the time. The photos going in the first of the week are floral photos with flowers that appear in the spring.

I BELIEVE....................

2011-03-15T21:16:00.001-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I've posted. Although I have a few things I wish to post about, this particular posting is titled 'I believe'.
A very dear friend sent this to me this week via email. I felt it was worth doing a post including the email sent. I have no idea who the original author of this was or is, however, they should be applauded.

My rational mind knows all these things to be true. My emotional mind still struggles with some of these points. These are important thoughts and lessons!

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we live!
Have a seat. Relax . . .
And read this slowly.

I Believe...
That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is,
They're going to hurt you
Every once in a while,
And you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow,
Even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with Loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people
Who do what has to be done,
When it needs to be done,
Regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I
Can do anything or nothing
And have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes, when I'm angry,
I have the right to be angry, but that
Doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do
With what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them,
And less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough
To be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn
To forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad
Your heart is broken,
The world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances
May have influenced who we are, but,
We are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be
So eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing
And see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed
In a matter of hours
By people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think
You have no more to give,
When a friend cries out to you,
You will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall
Do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about
Most in life
Are taken from you too soon.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have
The best of everything;
They just make the most of everything they have.

Whomever reads this, I hope they find some or all of it speaks to them.

Keep believing!

GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!

2011-02-23T22:47:00.011-05:00

Do you ever find yourself questioning your purpose in life and wondering the 'what if'. I have done that quite often in the past. Losing sight or giving up on my personal goals and dreams when it got difficult or 'life' kept getting in the way.

I have set aside a lot of emotions and hurts that,I believe, were holding me back. Sometimes, it was easier to give in and then make excuses. Well, no more!

My intuition, which I had also started to doubt, is telling me I am definitely meant to pursue my photography. I intend to do just that! I realize that friends and family see you in a way that comes from my own past behaviours. I understand that completely, however, I am appreciative of the friends and family that have become my cheerleaders. I started and failed at a number of things in my life and know I need to prove to them how serious this is for me. I will NOT give up! Although, I am not trained in all the technical aspects of photography, I am good at it and will continue to get better.

Getting recognition and people to pay for your work takes time. Photography, painting, sculpture, etc. are things people don't need and use discretion when spending their hard earned money on such things. Having said that, there are a LOT of people in this world who do have the money to purchase things that speak to their hearts. Yes, I said world. With the onset of the internet, Facebook and the like, the world really is an artists' marketplace.

I am almost 64 years old and before I die, will be successful at something. Photography is my 'something'!

The year has started off well. I have already been in a recognized show and sold one piece. I've have two custom ordered large canvases sold. I have framed photography and two canvases in a local restaurant. I'm in another show in two weeks AND have a 'One woman show' coming for April, May and June in a library. All of this continues to encourage me and keep me on my path to success. I am posting photos of the two custom canvases
ordered and sold(both were of sunsets) AND a few pictures of some of my pieces in the local restaurant.
In total, there are twelve matted and framed pieces and two canvas works at the restaurant.

Above all else, I am doing this for me. I can and will do better!

THIS WILL BE A BETTER YEAR............

2011-02-06T23:55:00.015-05:00

After a rough 2010, I told myself that this year would be better. As of now, it's certainly starting off on a better footing.
I've met some wonderful new artists and continue to network and hear about their lives and their experiences. When you are trying to chart your own course when it pertains to your goals and ambitions, it's great to speak with like people. I've had some great suggestions given to me and will definitely take all under consideration. Whether I follow the tips or not, it's so interesting to hear of their personal journey to meet their own dreams and expectations.

When I moved to Keene, I began to make new local friends. One local friend in particular is so much fun to spend time with and she has become one of my biggest fans of my photography! We have had coffee times getting to know each other better. We went to the United Way 'Be a Goddess' event together. Her name is Marg as well, which we have a bit of fun with at times. At this particular event, she was modelling for part of the fashion show for a specific women's dress shop. She has a great shape for a variety of clothing.

The night is a fundraiser,yes, however it's also somewhat of a women's trade show. Vendors catering to women have booths and do demos and hand out all kinds of free stuff. The local police, firefighters and EMT's dress in their uniforms and act as waiters who go around serving finger foods from local restaurants. A really fun time!

We just went to a live show at Showplace together on Friday night to watch a group of Flamenco dancers from Toronto. It was so interesting. I love latin music and latin dance.

Her son was throwing a 'Jack and Jill' party for one of his friends, so we crashed that for a short while. We bought some tickets for miscellaneous raffle prizes. I won a set of really nice wine glasses. Yeah!

Today was my first art show for this year. I was invited by 'The Kawartha Artists Gallery and Studio' to participate as a guest artist photographer. I could submit four pieces. For an opening, there was pretty good attendance, considering weather issues. Many viewers complimented me on my work, which is always great affirmation. I sold one piece which is the 'icing on the cake' for the first day of the show.

EDIT, EDIT, EDIT....!!!!

2011-01-22T23:01:00.007-05:00

Once again, it's been some time since I've managed a post.
Since January 1st, my main focus is editing. I've got many things to edit. Closets, files, cupboards,etc., etc.
I've already made three trips to our local Value Village with many more to go. There are many things that need to be taken to our county dump. So far, I've spent almost two full days shredding private papers which are no longer required to save. I also have many, many dishes that need to be sorted and given away. I'm trying to scale down.
I'm definitely on a personal mission to clear out the 'stuff' in my life that is no longer needed. Personally, I function so much better when things are in order and organized. It's easier to be organized with less 'stuff', especially when one knows you won't ever use it again.
When I'm feeling down, somehow my spirits are lifted when I get fresh order in my life. What lifts you up when you feel a bit blue or overwhelmed?

There's a different kind of edit I need to work on as well. I need to edit out some of the negative thoughts about myself. I need to quit beating myself up about some of the choices I've made and let go. There are some negative people that need to be edited from my life as well.
Another area that needs attention, is editing and/or filtering some of my talk. I've learned, for the most part, people really don't care what you think unless it validates their thoughts. Hmmm, maybe the monks have it right ... maybe silence really is golden!

Some good news pertaining to my photography has happened within the past two weeks. First, I've been asked to submit three to four framed pieces of my photography for a three week art show being held by the Peterborough Art Guild. Shortly after this committment, an offer came to hold a 'one woman show' at one of the area libraries for three months....exciting!

What goals did you set for this year? I believe this will be a very eventful year for me.... can't wait to see if some of my plans come to fruition!

My intent for 2011 is to make me the priority!

WONDERFUL END TO A DIFFICULT YEAR....

2011-01-07T23:53:00.013-05:00

Well, it's been over a month since I posted anything to my blog. There are too many reasons why, so I won't go there. My husband and I got to spend almost three weeks travelling and most of that time was spent with both our daughters, our sons-in-law and of course, our amazingly cute and talented grandchildren.
We went to Princeton, New Jersey first to our youngest daugther's as my husband had made a little table and chairs for Maggie. She loved it and now has a work surface to colour, paint, do her sticker books and whatever else she decides.
We then went to North Carolina to spend six days with our oldest daughter, her husband and our grandson, Mason. It was so great to get some one on one time with both my daughters and of course, it goes without saying, great fun with both Maggie and Mason. When you don't see them in person for a long time, it's really amazing to see how they've grown physically and intellectually. They are both at such fun ages!

Our youngest daughter, Lindsay and family were to join us on Boxing Day and it became a touchy situation whether or not they would make it to Marlo's. North Carolina got some of the heaviest snow they've had and initially their flight was cancelled. It was back and forth phone calls to give us updates as someone had to drive to Raleigh/Durham airport to get them (about one hour away). Finally, we got word their original flight had been reinstated, albeit their arrival was about 5 hours later than was originally scheduled. Never mind, they made it and that was what mattered. We actually had our Christmas the day after Christmas. We each received wonderful things, but the real pleasure was watching the kids open their gifts. Mason had told his Mom that he really wanted 'REAL' colour guard flags, not pretend ones. It took me a fair amount of research to find them, but found a great site called ColorGuard4Life which sold used flags on consignment. Because of Mason's age, I didn't want to spend what it would have cost for just one new flag. Instead, he got three used on poles. He was SO excited!!!! He is absolutely obsessed with drum corps and colour guards. He goes to the football games with his Mom and/or Dad, but really can't wait until half-time to see the marching band and colour guard.

Mason took Maggie outside and shared a small flag with her and they marched up and down the driveway...too cute!
Maggie has begun talking a blue streak and she is just plain funny at times. She was so enamoured by Mason and followed him around. They shared very well and just had a lot of fun. Mason was happy to share his PaperJamz guitar he had been given for his birthday. She was just so cool, our little rocker girl.

Because of the snow, I was able to help Mason learn how to make his very first snowman. The end result was terrific! One of the photos would make a great Christmas card next year, I think.

Marlo, Chris and Mason's home looked so pretty with all the snowfall and it seemed so peaceful! I love freshly fallen snow!

My daughter, Marlo cooked one of the most delicious Christmas meals, which all of us enjoyed immensely. It was a treat for me not to do the cooking.

We just arrived back home on Tuesday, this week and I've begun to edit things in the house and try and organize and plan for this year. I can only hope that it be better than 2010!

FESTIVAL OF TREES......ONGOING SUCCESS FOR OUR LOCAL HOSPITAL

2010-11-27T19:34:00.006-05:00

Well, with the help of two of my wonderful cousins, I was able to get my tree decorated for the Festival of Trees. With the back trouble I'm having due to my car accident, I'm so grateful to family for the help needed.

This Year is the 20th Anniversary of Festival!
For the past 19 years, the Peterborough Festival of Trees has launched the holiday season for the citizens of Peterborough and the surrounding areas while raising valuable dollars that support health care in the community. In 2009, The Festival of Trees raised $210,000, which matched the funds raised in 2008. This is a wonderful testament to the generous and caring endeavors of the Festival supporters.
In 1990, a small group of visionaries commenced a mission to raise funds for the Peterborough Civic Hospital Foundation (now known as the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation),St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation (now the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation),and Hospice Peterborough. The organizers researched the concept of the festival, and learned of its success in other communities throughout Canada and the United States. The rest is history.
The ambitious group of organizers successfully created a Victorian Village within the Memorial Centre during the first year and held a variety of special events to entice visitors to join in the celebrations and see the sights. The first year was a great success and the Peterborough holiday season tradition was established.
Well over 400,000 visitors from across Ontario and the United States have attended the spectacular festival and in more recent years over 250 businesses, small and large, have participated in various ways. Over the years, the layout of the 'village' has varied, themes have changed and new elements and events, as well as "pre-events" have been added to the schedule. Despite the many changes that the festival has undergone, the underlying objectives of raising funds for health have remained. The mandate for the festival is: "To undertake the organization,development, promotion and performance of an annual seasonal festival of music, performing arts, and related activities for the City of Peterborough".
To derive from the activities and promotional solicitations of the festival's donations, revenues and contributions of property for the benefit of health and care giving institutions in the City of Peterborough, generally, including Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation, and Hospice Peterborough.
To distribute the revenues and income there from, to, for the benefit of, in response to, the identified needs of the health and care-giving institutions, whether capital or operating, in such manner as may be determined to the best interests of providing enhanced health care in the City of Peterborough".
The Festival Operational Executive Committee, the Council of Committee Chairs and their associated committees work year round preparing for the annual events. Over 1,300 volunteers are coordinated to fulfill the countless number of duties required to stage an event of this magnitude. Thousands of people hours are required to handle construction, underwriting,wrapping presents for the Silver Bell Shop, event planning, tree delivery and community sponsorships. The transformation of the Peterborough Memorial Centre into a magical holiday forest, and the organization of entertainments and all the special events within the festival attests to the amount of time, energy and dedication that the festival volunteers expend.
The Peterborough and area citizens deserve to be proud of the successful fundraising efforts of the Festival of Trees for the past nineteen years. This year is our 20th Anniversary; and the Festival will be held from November 23 - 28, 2010 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. General admission times are also available from Wednesday, November 24 to Sunday, November 28.

It begins with House Tours where local decorators pick certain homes in the area and go in and decorate the people's homes with Christmas decor. There is also a terrific fashion show the following day. Then, there is a Preview Gala people can buy tickets to and those attending get first dibs on items to be sold from various people and corporations that donate the materials and the time.

This is my fourth year donating and decorating my own personal tree. The trees are various colors and the costs for the actual pre-lit trees are sponsored and paid for by various companies in our fair town. It costs a fair amount of money but I save somewhat by deciding a year ahead of time what color tree I want and then set about just before Christmas and after Christmas finding items for the following 'tree' year by getting all my items drastically reduced.

There is also a Heritage Breakfast with silent auction items and entertainment. After this event, there is still the Celebrity lunch for invited guests and people who purchase tickets. The following day is the Teddy Bear Breakfast and finally there is auction night. People purchase tickets and various and sundry items, both large and small go up for auction.

This year I asked for a black tree and decorated with whites, silvers, reds for impact. I was very pleased to have two of my cousins, Pat and Becky, who offered to help since I had almost NO range of motion to allow me to personally decorate my tree. I'm so lucky to finally live near family and the benefits that come from knowing you have both physical and mental support. Even if I say so myself, I was ecstatic at how beautiful my tree turned out. Someone else must agree as they purchased my tree outright the night of the Preview Gala. It gives me the warm fuzzies knowing it was purchased and what the money will help accomplish.

I enjoy attending the Family night and watching the little ones get so excited about the trees, the Candy Shop, the Toy Shop and then there is family entertainment from school choirs, soloist, and this year my cousin, Danny and his eight year old son Kevin sang. Danny is a songwriter, writes commercial jingles and performs at many clubs in the area. Also, on Family night, Home Depot sets up long rows of tables and provide for each small child something to make then and there and each child gets a small 'Home Depot' bib apron. This year, the kids got to make mini spice racks.

Many trees, gift baskets, decorated urns etc are selected for raffles that are held the final day of the Festival. People purchase tickets and at each item to be raffled there is a covered bin where people put their raffle tickets for the items they hope to win. Tomorrow, Sunday, all the items up for raffle will be drawn for and then the winners are phoned and a crew delivers the same day whatever raffle item a particular person won....pretty cool! I put my raffle tickets in the Crayola tree, the 5 Counties Children's Agency, the Home Depot tree, a couple of beautiful urns, the Little Caesar's Pizza tree. Each of these has many, many large ticket items promoted on their trees like $100 gift certificates, a certificate for a TV, a trip, years supply of pizzas, and so on and so on! I'd love to win the Crayola tree with all it's goodies. My grandson, Mason and my grandaughter, Maggie would sure have fun with all the goodies on that particular tree.

Great fun!........and a phenominal fundraiser for much needed items for the three agencies the money is alloted. All of this is done by volunteers. There is only one person paid year round to run the Festival. Kudos to all those who give in time, effort, money and enthusiasm.

TWO SHOWS DOWN.........

2010-11-20T20:26:00.007-05:00

Well, the last two weekends were the two Art Shows that each were 3 days long.
I got out of the hospital again on the Friday of the second show with some more car accident issues.
Thank goodness for my husband. The Friday leaving the hospital I got coughing fairly severely and felt something pop in my lower back. My husband had to set up the show and man the booth for me as I couldn't even stand up straight. On the Saturday, I managed to handle the booth for about two hours and once again had to head home.
The Sunday, I arrived with all intent to last most of the 11 -4 hours, but that wasn't to be either. I managed a little over an hour and home again, I went.
I've never had back trouble before in my life and have a whole new appreciation for people who live with back issues on a regular basis.
It's now been a week with this 'wonky' back and Thursday I finally had to go see my nurse practitioner for some help. She changed my medications and gave me a muscle relaxer to help with the back spasms( Flexeril) and then a strong anti-inflammatory (Toporol). They seem to be helping somewhat, but I'm by no means able to fully function. The silliest move can cause severe pain and more spasms.
Xrays have been taken as my nurse practitioner thinks there may be a slight crack in my spine and/or my pelvis...won't have answers until Monday.
I AM SUCH A LOUSY PATIENT....!!! This situation is very frustrating for me as I'm so fiercely independant. It's caused me to get behind on so many obligations, but I just can't move well enough for much of anything.........AAAAHHH!!!

The two shows were not as well attended and although I did OK financially, I didn't make nearly what I had hoped for with these two shows. Oh well, this type of thing is really a bit of a 'crap' shoot at the best of times.

Monday, I'm suppose to be decorating my tree for the 'Festival of Trees'. At this point, that would be impossible due to my back. S0, two of my cousins and my husband had promised to put the tree together for the show. I'll just sit and direct, I guess.

I have one more show on December 4th but it's just for about 8 hours... gosh, I sure hope I'm better by then!

We are hoping to go to North Carolina for Christmas to be with my oldest daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Then, the day after Christmas my youngest daughter, her husband and my grandaughter will arrive. It's so rare for all of us to be together at the same time. Gosh, I will be so upset, if I'm not well enough to go!

To my youngest daughter, Lindsay....enjoy what's left of your birthday!

OH, PIGPEN, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!

2010-11-12T22:21:00.006-05:00

Well, once again I'm very negligent in posting to my blog.
Honestly, as the title reflects, I'm developing a true empathy for the Charlie Brown character, Pigpen. I believe he's the one who walks around with a black cloud over his head all the time and things just don't seem to go his way.
On the day of Hallowe'en, I had an appointment with a local restaurant to bring in some of my decoupage plates. The owner had called and requested I bring in some of my Christmas plates as she had a very interested buyer. She asked I be there somewhere between five and six PM.
Without going into every little detail, I never made it as a man ran a red light and hit me while I was in the intersection attempting to make a left turn. The condensed version is my car as totalled, I've received some injuries which are causing me some ongoing problems. Today,I got out of the hospital after being in for two + days. This is my third visit since the accident.
This trip it was confirmed I have a fractured rib just along the breast area and my breathing is very difficult. I had fluid building up in my lung as I wasn't taking the full deep breaths because that really caused severe pain. However, I've been told I must take the full breaths or I'll end up with pneumonia. Unfortunately, when I take the deep breaths, it causes me to cough and sends me into spasms that affect my breathing. I think it's called being between a rock and a hard place. A few weeks of this they tell me, and then I can begin some therapy.
Aside from losing a car that was a great deal and suited my lifestyle and my budget it has complicated the two biggest shows I have had scheduled for months.
Thank goodness, my husband stepped up and offered to help me. If I hadn't had his help, I would have lost all my deposits and would not have made a dime. Instead, I made money last weekend and will make money this weekend. Sales aren't like last year, nevertheless there is sales.
The plus side of this whole scenario is, according to the police officer if I'd been driving even a few kms. of speed more, I probably would be dead as he would have T-boned me and the speed at which I'd have been hit would not have been a happy ending.
The down side is, this driver was driving with a suspended licence, no insurance, probably speeding and probably ran the red light. As a result, I must pay a $500 deductible off the top of my claim. That translates into $500 less to spend on finding a new car. State Farm insurance has been wonderful to deal with and told me they will go after him for monies. If they get some, I get paid back my $500 first and they will take the rest. That may or may not happen!
I doubt for $2100.00 I'll find a car that matched the one I had or even come close. My car was a 1999 Ford Escort wagon with only 38,000 KMS when I purchased it and only had 70,000 KMS when totalled. It was in mint condition. My mechanic had asked me just a few weeks ago if I wanted to sell it....No, was my answer.
I get my settlement cheque on Monday and begin the process of finding a car, IF I feel well enough. Sigh!!!

A DREAM FULFILLED.............

2010-10-29T23:36:00.003-04:00

Well, it's a wonderful feeling to help someone fulfill a dream! Myself and many friends and family gave my brother enough birthday money for a long time dream of his to come true. No one understands how really special this is for my brother. He may not have a lot, but he will ALWAYS give up something he might want if he feels his wife or daughter want something. He is a man with minimal needs and wants and rarely declares his own wish list.

Since he had a particular picture of a kayak posted for years in his workshop,I finally asked him about it. I realized this was a wish and hope he thought he might eventually realize. Well, the friends and family that love and respect him helped speed the process up. I say thank you to all of those special dreamakers. He received enough money to purchase the exact kayak in the picture, the kayak paddle, and a skirt for the kayak. He's just a little short to purchase the special kayak life jacket. I think his wife and daughter and son-in-law will provide that as a Christmas gift.

Our weather has been quite unseasonably warm up until today, so he's managed to go kayaking at least three times. He's ecstatic! I believe kayaking has beat out canoeing as his new favourite thing to do by himself and for himself. He has also spent time building a winter rack for the kayak.

You SO deserve this gift, Den! Enjoy it, every chance you get! Love you lots!!

LET THE SEASONAL SHOPPING BEGIN..........!!!!

2010-10-19T00:37:00.010-04:00

Well, over the past couple of months when I had any free time, I've been busily making my lighted glass blocks and making decoupaged glass plates. Why, you ask? Well, the first two weekends in November, I'm in two different arts and crafts shows in Peterborough. The first is called 'Hand of Man' that runs the entire weekend, the second is called 'Autumn Treasures' and also runs the entire weekend. These shows are a tremendous amount of work, but once you get there and are set up, they are actually a lot of fun. Obviously, the whole purpose is to generate income for myself and recognition is the added bonus. Trust me, my fingers are crossed for both. This will be the last year I make the blocks and do the plates. As of 2011, I intend to focus 100% on my photography. It's my absolute passion and I need to generate income and recognition. I'm spread too thin when I'm involved in all three.
Here is just a sampling of some of the pieces to be sold...hope you like what you see...even better when sold.

The third weekend in November is a local festival called 'Festival of Trees'. It's a week long series of events that raises funds for our local hospitals needs. This will be my fourth and final year in the capacity I now participate. Each year, a group of local companies funds the purchase of many, many artificial, pre-lit trees at 4 ft., 7ft. and 10 ft. heights. In some cases, other companies, social groups and individuals like myself design and go purchase decor for their particular tree out of pocket. The first year I participated, I did a four foot tree in memory of my Mom and my sister who both have passed away. The second year, I did another four foot tree to honour my grandchildren. Since their names are Mason and Maggie ( my personal little M & M's) the tree had an M & M's theme. Last year, I did an all white tree and used it to advertise my photography business. This year, I'm doing an all black tree with reds, silvers, whites and crystals. As monies have gotten SO tight on the personal front, I've decided this will be the last year I'll do a personal tree. I will, however, continue to volunteer to help in whatever capacity I might be needed.

FUNK........

2010-10-15T00:33:00.014-04:00

AGAIN, I haven't posted in some time!!! What's up with that? Well, my title says it all. I am most definitely in a funk! There are SO many reasons why, which I can't or won't elaborate on at this time. What I do know is, I need to snap out of it! I will continue to work on it, but this time I'm struggling.

One of the bright spots for me in the past couple of weeks was being able to throw a surprise 60th birthday party for my brother. He is truly one of the few good guys on this earth and it was REALLY important to me to do this for him. There were about 45 people that were able to make it a very special night for him. As well as the overall surprise, some neighbours they had a long time ago in the Toronto area made it, our mutual friends from Ohio made it and his daughter and new son-in-law made it. My brother, Den, has always been unselfish, kind and willing to give to the best of his ability. He has rarely asked for or expected anything from anybody. I felt it was time he knew how much he is appreciated for who he is and how much people care about and for him. It worked in spades! He was very choked up by the love and kindness shown to him.

He has had a picture of a kayak posted up in his workshop for, I believe, 5 years or more and when I asked him quite some time ago what the picture meant, he said it was one of his dreams to own one some day. Well, with the generosity of so many friends and family we were able to give him his dream. He received enough money to buy the exact kayak he had in the picture, the paddle, the skirt and still has almost enough to purchase the specific life jacket needed for kayaking. He's actually had a chance to go out on the lakes near him three times so far because the weather has been so great.

I am posting a few of the party pics, but must add a disclaimer that the photos are courtesy of our friend Deb from Ohio. Thanks, Deb!
Also, below is a pic of a special treat Deb had made for a giveaway for the guests. It's a chocolate bar with a personalized wrapper of Den many moons ago! How cute, the idea, and how cute is that little boy!!

The next morning myself and our Ohio friends, Deb and Doc went to have coffee with Den and Bette as Den was about to turn the tables on Doc. He had made Doc a custom electric guitar and wanted to present it to Doc. Doc was so surprised and almost speechless with my brother's gesture and hard work!

I need to say 'Thank you' so much to all the friends and family that contributed to Den's birthday and helping out with food as well. It was a success, for sure!

Another happy event was the celebration of my grandaughter's third birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn't be in Princeton, but with the help of Skype, I got to see her open her birthday gift from us. She is just too cute for words! Happy Birthday, Mags!

I'm trying to get back to full health without a lot of success, so decided to 'shut down' for the most part until the end of the month hoping just some R & R will do the trick. I have an unbelievably busy month of November with three shows, three weekends in a row. Each show runs the entire weekend so some long hours ahead. I really hope they generate some income for me! To quote a friend of ours from Tennessee, " I'm so broke, I can't even pay attention!"

BLOGGING.....OFF TRACK!

2010-09-29T02:46:00.006-04:00

Well, it's been some time once again since I posted on my blog. I'm not quite sure why I've gotten out of the rhythm, but I have. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I just haven't felt 100% and the other part, I believe, is struggling with the direction I want to go moving forward. It's been a crazy time with art shows scheduled for the past few weekends. All of that takes extra planning time, design time and the sheer logistics of getting things organized to take to a show. I did the Art in the Park for Artsweek of Peterborough, which ended up being a total waste of time. All day, outside, and only sold one item all day. Last weekend was kind of fun. I entered a juried art show affiliated with the All Canadian Jazz Festival in Port Hope, Ontario. It was an interesting premise for the artists. It was called the Square Foot Show. Every piece of art could measure no more than one square foot, be it photography, painting, 3 Dimensional, whatever. I did not need to be present for entire weekend. I just dropped my art off and they had people who hung all the pieces neatly lined up on display. On Sunday, when I went back to retrieve my pieces, I decided to take in some of the jazz festival and then pick up my art. I so enjoyed the jazz I heard.... some wonderful Canadian jazz musicians. For this show, there were two prizes handed out as well as the chance to sell one's art. The first was a Critics Choice award and the second was the People's Choice award. I found out I just missed out on the People's Choice award by two votes...rats! It would have been great as there was a $250.00 cash prize included. Oh well, c'est la vie! The money would have been great, but I was encouraged that I was in the running at all. The art piece that won, was an oil painting. Each time I enter or participate in these shows convinces me to stick with what I love and eventually, eventually it will pay off financially and in recognition. I chuckled to myself driving home from town today, thinking, oh my gosh, I hope I'm not one of those artists that becomes famous after they are dead! Wow, now that's some weird thinking AND that would really kind of suck!
Sunday night, one of my cousins invited us to attend a concert at Showplace, to see a group of women called 'The Marigolds' It was so great seeing these Canadian women who are singers and songwriters up close and personal in an intimate venue. Each is acclaimed in their own right, but together they make great music. Here is just a sample of their talents.......

An interesting bit of trivia....The name 'The Marigolds' came from the Sesame Street song 'Inchworm'. You can see more of their songs on YouTube.

ARTISAN'S AND ARPEGGIO'S

2010-09-14T17:08:00.008-04:00

Well, this past Saturday was the culmination of approximately five months of planning. It began with a very special woman by the name of Marg Glenn who wanted to help her church raise funds for some much needed renovations to bring the church up to present day handicap requirements. This included a chair lift to allow the disabled to get to the main church, to gut and re-do the bathrooms to make them more accessible for wheelchairs and finally to begin much needed repair to a very large stained glass window that is beginning to disintegrate.
Marg recruited myself and one other woman by the name of Laurie to help organize and brain storm for ideas. We decided we wanted it to be an art show with some class and to promote both local artists and local food providers.
With that in mind, we began recruiting local artists, local musicians, and local food suppliers with something special to offer.
The end result was twelve different artists who each did something unique. We had five different musicians who each donated an hour of their time to play while people shopped and sampled different food items. It was a 'sensory' experience in every sense of the word.
There are limitations to decorating a church hall, but we did our best. All the vendor tables were covered in linen tablecloths, we had a little bistro table area for people to sit and eat and listen to the music and there were potted mums outside the church to greet those attending and flowers dispursed around the venue. We had candles on the piano and fall coloured arrangements at the front entrance as well.
Each artist and food vendor donated something distinct to them for a basket that we sold raffle tickets and one lucky winner walked away with a lot of valuable items.
Although, it wasn't as well attended as we had hoped it was still a huge success! Many who attended stated it was one of the 'classiest' art shows they had been to ever.
Mission accomplished!

OH MY! WHERE TO BEGIN!!!

2010-09-13T20:46:00.014-04:00

Well, I truly don't know where to begin as it's been three weeks since I posted anything on my blog. Why, you may ask? Well, I have been very busy and quite frankly I'm still dealing with my health issues. Although, I'm getting better, I'm still struggling with days it's a struggle to breathe normally. It's apparent, I need to find my own way to deal with a new lifestyle that is foreign to me. Because of the breathing problems, it takes me much longer to get things accomplished and I get tired much more quickly. The more difficult days are impossible to predict at this moment.... with no rhyme or reason as to why.
Because the time elapsed is so long, I will just highlight the main events that occured.

Let me begin where I left off and that is with the work done for my niece's wedding. The DIY wedding may save some money, but if for sure couldn't happen without a lot of hard work from the bride, the groom, parents, friends and family members. It was a very different setting for a wedding. It's called Wychwood (The Stop) now, but used to be the old transit barns for the buses and streetcars. On Saturdays, it begins with a market which does not end until 1:00 PM. Therefore, we could not begin to set everything up for the wedding until all the market vendors had left. We then had to clean the areas and begin setting tables, chairs, dishes, etc. etc. up. By the time that was accomplished, we all only had time to get back to the hotel, shower quickly, change and get back to the venue for 5:30PM. We managed to do it!
The wedding was short, and very unique, but oh so my niece, Kelly. They said short vows and then read letters to each other stating why they were taking each other as partners. The letters were then put in a wooden box (made by her Dad) along with a bottle of wine and they each took turns hammering nails in the lid to seal. The plan is not to open until their 25th wedding anniversary OR the first time they feel their relationship might be threatened. If so, they will open, re-read their letters and remind themselves why they pledged a commitment to each other.
Kelly did not where your typical wedding dress by any means...nothing too traditional for her. Her dress was made by a Toronto designer that she does sample modelling for and has done for a few years now.
The food was planned by the groom and a friend of his who owns a restaurant in Montreal. I must say, it's probably the best wedding food I've ever had and I'm not alone in that comment. Absolutely delicious! Many helped them pull this off and it was quite enjoyable.
An added bonus for me, was my grandaughter and my youngest daughter attended so got some really special time with both Lindsay and my little sweet pea, Maggie.
Sunday morning, some family members went over to Kelly and Nate's for a breakfast/brunch.

I will try to do another post tomorrow to give an update on the first of a sequence of art shows I'm doing in September. This weekend was the first one. This was Artisan's and Arpeggio's. I was part of the committee organizing this one and it was a great day...more on this tomorrow.

MY BIRTHDAY..... MADE SO SPECIAL BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

2010-08-22T19:46:00.010-04:00

It's been a very busy but wonderful week.
Friday was my 63rd birthday and my friends and family made it SO special for me.
I received many, many cards and many, many wonderful gifts. On Thursday at lunch my brother and sister-in-law took me to lunch for Thai food and it was superb! It was my first visit to this restaurant as we rarely eat out. Then, our friends from Brockville called and said they were in their motorcoach heading back to Brockville and wanted to spend the evening and overnight with us. They took us to the Elmhirst Resort for dinner. Again, wonderful food! I don't usually eat two big meals in one day!
Then Friday, I had a meeting with the planning committee for the 'Artisan's & Arpeggio' show we're holding on September 11, 2010. The girls bought me lunch at our 'Village Tea Room'. I had already told my husband I wasn't cooking on my birthday, so he said to pick a place to go out for dinner. As a member of our local Chamber of Commerce, I've had the pleasure of meeting and hearing about new restaurants that have opened in town. I picked a restaurant called 'David's' which is European Fine Dining. The decor was stunning, the food absolutely wonderful, and Mary, the owner, gave me a complimentary chocolate crepe with fresh fruit for dessert......just so enjoyable. My husband gave me an iTunes gift card.
I received some wonderful gifts. My daughter's gave me an iPod Nano, some gave me money towards my camera fund, my neighbour gave me some lovely note pads, my cousins gave me gift cards to Michaels and Staples. My friend from New Brunswick calle as well. She was just here visiting but I miss her already. I felt very spoiled and very blessed to have the friends and family who love me.
To top it all off, my grandson and my grandaughter each sang Happy Birthday to me.
Life is good!... and then some.

2ND PRIZE.....WOW!

2010-08-15T20:13:00.005-04:00

Well, I'm SO excited! I entered another photography show and went down today to help at the door and pick up my art at the end of the show. Once there, I found out one of the three pieces I submitted placed second. WOW, what a wonderful surprise!!! This is the very first win for me and to top it off, there was a cash prize as well, so I received $100.00 .... icing on the cake so to speak!

The judge for this show was Michael van Leur, who lives and works in Toronto. He is a judge in the Pirelli Photography Awards, as well as for other community based associations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has 25 years experience in professional photography, working for some large studios and owning his own studio/professional lab for about 10 years. He has been hired by MacLeans magazine, Toronto Life magazine, Report on Business, Power, and Rough Notes to take photographs on their behalf.

I have three more shows I've entered coming up. This has given me the validation and encouragement to trust my heart and my passion. I'm not going to regret going after one of my dreams and who knows what might be ahead,

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?.....INCREDIBLE!

2010-08-12T22:45:00.006-04:00

This article was sent to me via an email, and I'm sure it's circulating around the world via the net. Having said that, I feel it's SO worth featuring again the amazing, amazing work of this couple. I'm in awe of the detail in their work and yet there is my curious side that wonders what is in some people's makeup that inspires this type of creativity? What makes some so creative and others not so much? Hmmmm!

Here in their own words, is some of their thoughts and story.......

Sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman

These stunningly detailed sculptures may only be made from paper - but they are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of pounds. The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper.
Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay moulds and pressurize it to remove the water
The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly add detailed finishing's with a wide range of tools
They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota, America, and have racked up a whopping £3 million selling the works of art
The pieces depict traditional scenes from Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing
The most expensive piece is called Prairie Edge Powwow which sold for £47,000
Allen said: "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and my family on both sides admire the native Americans...
...I work on the men and animals and Patty does the women and children" explains Allen
"I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends itself to unlimited detail. I'm really interested in the Indians' material, physical and spiritual culture and that whole period of our nation's history I find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the Civil War and beyond is of great interest to me."
Allen explained their technique: "It should not be confused with paper Mache. The two mediums are completely different. I call what we do 'cast paper sculpture'"
..."Some of them we create are life-size and some we scale down to 1/6 life-size"
"We transform them by sculpting on top of them - creating detail with soft and hard paper we make in various thicknesses and textures.
"We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years and have created a process that is worth sharing. There are many artists and sculptors who we believe will enjoy this medium as much as we have."

PICTON......PUT ON YOUR 'MUST SEE' LIST.......

2010-08-06T23:01:00.010-04:00

I went to Picton a couple of days ago to attend the Eastern Ontario Photography Show. I had entered the show, however, none of the three pieces I submitted were picked. Apparently, that's not unusual the first time you apply. I decided I wanted to see just what did get accepted. There were some beautiful, beautiful pieces of work and a few that I'd definitely put in 'a class by themselves'. When I left, after viewing over three hundred plus pieces, I felt my work, overall, was every bit as good as what was displayed. All these processes just confirm for me, that indeed I need to continue following my dream.
Picton is such a unique town. It sits on Lake Ontario, with amazing sand dunes, a lake that's on top of a mountain, wonderful restaurants, a ferry to the island, a very old but quaint downtown area. I just love spending time there! There's is SO much to see and do it would take more than a day, for sure. I'm lucky enough to live just an hour and a bit away...so can do day trips.
Picton is in Prince Edward County and the areas in the county are filled with beautiful farms, wineries and stunning, well maintained older homes. There is a booming and well supported arts community.
I can't begin to do the area justice, so take time to visit at some point.
Here are just a few shots to help convince you.....

A NEW ETSY SHOP.........CREATIVE AND DIFFERENT! ... LESLIE HEDRICK

2010-08-03T19:24:00.006-04:00

Hi there!

I'm excited to present this fairly new artist from Etsy. Her name is Leslie Hedrick. She does really unique and intriguing art.

As I usually do, I'm including a brief Bio and using mostly her own words to introduce Leslie to my blogging world. Go check out her shop and let her know what you like and/or don't like. As someone who is not creative with either a pen, pencil, etc., I'm fascinated to see these type of artists put down lines on paper that come to life. Fascinating!

www.LeslieHedrick.etsy.com

Bio
I have always been an artist of all kinds. This particular style developed as doodling in boring classes. Maybe that's why I never took it seriously until now!
My work is all done pretty small scale with a ballpoint pen. I then create prints of it on satin banners and poster paper. I now consider it more than doodling--it's a meditation for me, and an elegant, beautiful way to see the world.
I'm a pen and ink line-work artist. All my work is done free-hand in ballpoint pen, and is abstract. I work in black and white, using variations of bold and delicate strokes.In my shop you will find giclee prints of my work, in 11x17 and 8x10. I also occasionally do a limited edition series of the line-work in a different medium.

Currently I have some limited edition satin wall banners for sale for $75.00 each. The Lotus, Botanic, Pitcher Plant, Symphony and Mirror Satin Banners have sold--every other design should have a satin banner option available.

I've also designed many tattoos. These are not posted on the site right now because they have all sold, and they are all one and only, never to be repeated designs. Convo me through Etsy if you'd like to commission one! Keep an eye out for uncommissioned, for sale tattoo work in August 2010.

The "earth" in Pen and Ink and Earth refers to semi-precious gemstone jewelry that I make, which I will begin selling in September.

Thank you for your interest in my work. Let me know what you think by leaving a blog comment, and keep watching for a facebook page to follow!

ANOTHER STINT IN THE HOSPITAL...........

2010-07-30T20:47:00.014-04:00

This has been a VERY weird week. I ended up in hospital again from Sunday until yesterday. Once again, effects from this stupid pertussis. Long story short, I've been told by the lung specialist that I now have serious COPD permanently that may lead to emphysema(?) in the near future and that I have permanent asthma as well.
Oh, yeah! Next week the specialist is sending me for a bunch of tests. Then, he'd be able to tell me more accurately what my future may be.
I've gone through so many emotions this week, I can't begin to tell you where my head is at the moment. None of it very pretty.
I've decided this week, that I'm backing off on all the personal stuff as it only reminds me on a continuous basis how many stupid decisions I've made in my life and that I'm even more ridiculous by talking about it. Nothing like telling everyone you are a mess.
I've also reflected on how I need to back off with my opinions and work on keeping all of that to myself. No one really cares and it sounds pitiful.
What I do know is my opinions, decisions etc are mine. I need to be far more tolerant of other people's opinions and decisions and others need to be more tolerant and understanding of mine. I'm hardly a shining example of what's right for me, much less anyone else. I will say that this year, thus far, has been one of the roughest ever for me, both physically, mentally and emotionally.

Why can't we just let people live their lives the way they want. What is it about human nature that when our own lives are out of control and so wrong, that we try and screw up other people's lives as well by offering our advice.....shame on all of us, but especially shame on me! Some of us, for some reason, think our way(s)is the only way, which is so not reality. I'm going to try harder to be better.

Today,from a health perspective, I actually feel human again. Finally!

I got such a wonderful email from my youngest daughter today. She forwarded a picture of Maggie, my grandaughter, that just made my soul melt. Is this not the face of an angel?

It's a long weekend here in Canada and I need to continue getting well. I will probably just play at the computer with photos, etc. and clean up photo folders.

On Monday, my sister-in-law has invited us for dinner and conversation and she's cooking a special meal for me....can't wait. Let me tell you how good home made food is after five days of hospital food. I use the term 'food' loosely. Some of what was served was questionable at best.

I hope to shift the focus of my blog from here on and make it less about my personal life and more about my art and other pleasures.

KIND OF A HEINZ 57 WEEK.........

2010-07-23T21:16:00.005-04:00

Well, I'm still battling this pertussis(whooping cough)and all that that includes. I'm still taking medications, puffers and will for a few more days. Although, I am feeling better and breathing better, I'm in no way over this situation.
They tell me it just takes time and patience. It's the latter, I have trouble with at the moment.

Monday, I picked up my art from the weekend long Art Show. Unfortunately, I did not sell anything and really had counted on at least one sale. Oh well, the curator told me there were some wonderful comments made about my work. For now, I'll take that encouragement.

Since the weather was so humid all week, I spent most of the week indoors. It allowed me to deal with some household stuff. I cleaned and edited our cold room, my kitchen cupboards, by fridges and my freezers. I always hate doing that type of stuff, and yet, there is a real sense of accomplishment when completed. Oh yeah, I went crazy baking and freezing pumpkin breads, banana breads, etc.

I've been studying a book written by a local woman regarding the process of leveraging yourself over the internet. She is great at using everyday language and I'm trying to implement some of her ideas. I think highly of this woman and hope to get her out here to get some hands-on help with all of it. I can't afford to pay her, but I'm hoping I can entice her with a good meal and maybe barter for a framed piece of my work.

I've struggled all week trying to word and design a letter and contract for the interior design and home stagers in the area. As I move forward, I feel there is real potential in working with these businesses. I really want to get it right, though!

My heart is telling me to persist and follow my dream. Although I go through some self doubt, and have some anxious moments, the feeling of ultimate success is so strong, I refuse to let the weak moments dictate my future.

It's been one of those weeks where I just seem to be going through the motions and am definitely in kind of a funk. I'll snap out of it. Sometimes, I think it's because I spend too much time thinking and then begin to regret. Sometimes, things just don't seem to be going well and I begin to over analyze the reasons. Sometimes, I just don't have the answers.

FELL OFF THE WAGON.....MUST TRY AGAIN!

2010-07-18T17:39:00.004-04:00

Yep, fell off the 'quit smoking' wagon!

I'm not even sure why, but the fact is I did.

Last night, I got on the Nicorette website and signed on to follow a program they will set for me to quit. I had to answer a lot of questions and from that, they apparently custom design my own quit smoking program.

I was told beginning tomorrow, I'll receive daily emails telling me what to do step by step. They set my official quit date as July 26th. I now have the patches and the gum, so will await instructions. They s-a-y if you follow precisely the program they set for you, you will have 100% success.....!

I refuse to beat myself up over this, and yet, once again I feel like I've failed!

Oh well, I'll suck it up and try again..... just a slight detour.

TOMORROW.....HOPE FOR STRENGTH AND DETERMINATION

2010-07-14T22:34:00.002-04:00

Well, tomorrow I will begin to try for the umpteenth time to quit smoking.
I realize there are people out there who sneer at those who smoke and that's their perogative. For me, it's been so much a part of me and it's been the 'crutch' for me. Quite frankly, I'm not sure at this point, what I'll replace it with but I will need to find something.
If it weren't for this stupid 'health' issue that has raised it's ugly head this week, I was not motivated to try at this point. I had actually set a date to try and quit this year, but it's just been moved up.
For me personally, I am usually so stubborn, but have always had a weak spot when it came to quitting smoking. It is and has been, for me, my one true friend. Goodbye, old friend. I hope it's worth it!

REALLY BAD TIMING....

2010-07-12T22:20:00.004-04:00

Well, I've just spent the last three days in hospital. As I stated in my previous post, I've been struggling with what I initially thought was a lousy summer cold. Not so!
As the doctor stated today, that would have been the best case scenario. No, it appears a whole sequence of events now has me dealing with what will become a perpetual problem. I was told today that I've suffered a COPD Flare! You ask, what in the world is that? Well, I sure did! It can be life threatening apparently as it can cause respiratory failure.

Apparently, in my case, it's consecutive events that led my body to 'attack'. I will tell you it's one of the most scary feelings ever! I really felt like I was suffocating.

It started with my throat surgery, then being exposed to pertussis(whooping cough), then a booster I got for tetanus and diptheria, whooping cough etc, then the extreme heat and humidity we have at the moment and the pace I was trying to run at. Yep, it caught up with me big time. The other mitigating factor that added (not caused) to this equation was the fact that I smoke.

Well, three days in hospital, over two hundred dollars in medications (some of which I'll be on forever apparently) has dictated some life changes. I can no longer spend time in the heat and/or humidity, I must take inhalers 4 - 6 times a day, and I must quit smoking. Oh yeah, the other factor that plays a big part in this, I was told, is to eliminate stressors from your life. Hah! ...can someone give the secret for that, please! Oh yeah, finally, I've been told that I can't go into my husband's workshop anymore because of the wood dust and because of the spray finishing.

I have a photography show coming up this weekend. Fortunately, I do not need to be in attendance (although I wanted to be). So, tomorrow, I'll start my car and get the air conditioning going before I leave the driveway, pick up my framed art, and drive back home to my central air conditioned house. Wednesday, once again, I'll get my car air conditioning going and then head to Cobourg to submit my photography pieces and back home.

So, whether I like it or not, my life is heading in a new direction. One positive in all of this is I'll also quit drinking. For me, the drink was just the social appendage. I always enjoyed the smoking far more than I've ever liked to have a drink. I've always thought drinking created as many social and health issues as smoking.

I will tell everyone, they are lucky not to be near. I've tried to quit smoking about six times in my life and I turn into an absolute B----t-----ch!!!

I know now what it would be like to die from suffocation now....and it's not pleasant. For me, however, there's no one with their hands around my throat trying to kill me. I guess I've done that to myself!

Added to all of this, I'm now the heaviest I've ever been in my life. The steroids I now have to take cause major weight gain for me. I've already gained four and half pounds since Friday. So much for my weight training etc and my goal for year end. Hmm, guess my new goal is just to keep myself alive.

HEAT AND FUNK....

2010-07-07T15:39:00.003-04:00

I think it's one of those chicken-egg things. I'm not sure which caused which, but I'm definitely in a funk today. The heat here is absolutely brutal and I'm now in my third week of this steady cough. I was told Friday, that I very likely have pertussis and that can run as long as 6 - 10 weeks.
Being the impatient and active person I usually am, I'm definitely finding this scenario frustrating.

OK, now that I've had my mini pity party, I must get on with things. Next week is the first of the juried art shows I've entered and have a few last minute things to get done for the show. Apparently, this is a really well attended show and since it's my first time I really want to make sure I've done my best.

I'm now in the process of drafting a couple of different cover letters to go along with the rack cards I had printed. I'm aiming for the interior designers/homestagers as one part of the marketing equation and then want a different letter to send out to corporate people.

Since I'm also planning on offering a rental option, I need to draft a legal rental agreement for those who may just want to rent my framed photography for a set period of time...... lots to do!

I'm also at a point where I really need help with 'connecting the dots' so to speak and start linking all my sites together in order to leverage to the fullest my web exposure. I spoke to someone at the Chamber yesterday and she's offered to help me. We just need to find a mutally agreeable time to spend getting it done.

CANADA DAY AND JULY 4TH.... TRADITIONS

2010-07-05T22:26:00.003-04:00

Well, since I was born in Canada and lived in the USA for eleven years, I feel some connection to both of these holidays. The connection for me, is recalling activities and traditions I tried to give my daughter's in both countries. Although Marlo really only lived the first seven years of her life in Canada, she was born here and as a small child she had such wonderment,enthusiasm and found such pleasure in the little things. On Canada Day, we'd sometimes go to Ontario Place and stay for the concert outdoors, sometimes we'd make paper Canadian flags and stick them up, and then we had a ritual of Marlo having her bath, getting into her PJ's and then we'd light sparklers out in the back yard. She would just shake with excitement! She was so happy when she could be the 'big sister' and show Lindsay how this 'process' worked. She taught Linds that when you twirl them you can make unique light patterns. Lindsay was impressed!

After we moved to the USA and the girls got involved in baton twirling, most of our July 4th's, were spent marching/twirling in two or three parades in the one day. After all was over, the twirling corps (Twin-tonettes) would picnic and the kids would participate in the fairs. They loved doing some of the rides, they loved the fried-dough, the candy floss, and just hanging with other corps members. Many happy times were had with this group. Being part of that corps taught them so much about things they would need later in life.... like, responsibility, scheduling, committment, hard work, team work, respect, sportsmanship, practice makes you better and 'family'. It served both of them very well. Each of my girls honed these skills and built on them and I am SO proud.

Both Marlo and Lindsay are now Moms themselves and will develop their own traditions with their children. I often wonder what Mason and Maggie will recall as their special family holiday traditions. Many of the 'little things' we did that didn't cost much are the things that stand out as special for my girls. I'm sure the same will hold true for their kids....I hope so!

As I recall so many things we did together, I smile.

CONTEST OVER............

2010-07-02T18:50:00.016-04:00

Well, my contest ended up confusing the people who decided to participate. It ended up only three people wanted to win a signed, framed, photo.
Since I messed up the explanation and there were only three people who entered, I've decided all three will get their choice framed as a 4 X 6 framed to a 5 X 7. It will take me a week approximately to get them framed and then handed out.

Here were the picks and why:

I love "Absent." The colors, the textures, the composition are all wonderful. It's the pop of red. It's simply the pop of red against the gray that attracts me to this photograph and keeps me there. Meg Mitchell (PRISCILLAMAEetal)

Lonesome is my favorite..It draws me to it!..LV the calm silence...beautiful.. Teresa Mailath

As soon as I saw The Three Sisters, I got goose bumps. I am sure I have stood at the same spot from where you took that shot. Unbelieveable...To me those mountains truly are "The Power and The Glory." – Robert McFarland

Thank you to the three of you. Next contest, I'll try to be less complicated.

Well, on a different note, it's been a really crappy week, healthwise. This cough I've had just won't let up. I finally ended up going to Emergency today and after four hours, they are pretty sure I've got early stage pertussis (whooping cough). I'd hate to think it could get worse! It's a brutally dry cough and now my ribs are bruised and 'oh, so tender!'. I finally received some relief in the form of various drugs. I'm not a drug taker per se, but let me tell you, I'm really happy to have these prescriptions. I'm on anti-biotic for the irritation it's caused in my throat due to the surgery and then the aggravation of the cough, prednisone to help stop the coughing, tylenol three with codiene for the pain and overall discomfort from all the coughing, AND special inhaler to help slow down and stop my coughing as well.
This time, I'm a willing patient!

Today, I heard I was not selected for one of the juried art shows I applied for in August. That's OK! This was a really big contest that covered ALL of Southern Ontario. I was given a ticket for the show, however, and I will definitely attend to see what was chosen. I'm just starting this type of thing and can't expect to make it into all of them. I will certainly get some opinions on my work in order to learn from the process. I must always keep in mind as my framer told me, art is so subjective that you do what you do primarily for yourself and hope others out in the great big world like it also. He's a painter as well as a framer.

Well, back to get some rest!

POST-SCRIPT:

I actually missed one person's choice and comments...sorry, Linda.
You, too, will get your photo choice framed and I apologize for leaving you out of the initial post.....definitely a senior moment!

I like this one because it's purple :-) and pretty. See how so NOT deep I can be about these things? I am just that simple, on some level. And allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the people (mostly men) who are baffled by me and think I am oh-so-deep and complicated just aren't paying attention.... Linda Faigen

DOCTOR'S ORDERS... NO MORE WORKING OUT FOR A WHILE......

2010-06-28T16:54:00.006-04:00

Well, since just after my throat surgery, I picked up what I thought was a summer cold. Apparently, it's some type of viral problem in my throat. I cough 24/7 and yet my lungs,ears, and glands are fine. I've been to two doctors and both have told me not to work out anymore until this is cleared up. I'm not sleeping properly, and I'm tired. I am pushing to get things accomplished, when I'd really rather just lay down.
SO, I guess I better do what I've been told. After all, since I hadn't lost any weight anyway, I'm not going to sabotage any of my efforts thus far.

I'm working on getting photos printed and framed this week for the first of three juried art shows I'm entering. I finally found someone who will do the matting and framing at a more reasonable price than Michael's. Unfortunately, when you enter juried shows, they require proper professional framing. You just can't go buy a ready-made frame and put your photo in and be done with it...no,no.

I have edited many things in my house and have now posted some stuff on Kijiji for sale. I'm hoping this will help my 'Get a new camera' fund. I also had some fairly valuable jewelry which I have now put on consignment at a high end jewelry store in town. Fingers crossed! Maybe, just maybe, this will move me closer to my new Canon DSLR camera.

OOPS! ...A glitch in my contest...

2010-06-26T15:49:00.002-04:00

Well, I will make the best of this!
Apparently, I ended up confusing people about my contest.
I had also put a notice on my Facebook page and some have misunderstood what to do.
As a result, some went to my Fine Art America website and posted their comments there instead of my blog.
I will not ask those people to go back and post here. Instead, I will bounce between the two sites to see who has participated.
At the point I choose the winner, I will first list on my blog all the entries and what photos they picked.

Again, I apologize for the confusion and will just make the best of it at this point.

Note to self: Do better the next contest I hold at explaining the process.

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY CONTEST.......FINALLY!

2010-06-23T22:25:00.005-04:00

Yes, I'm finally doing a giveaway!
Go to my Fine Art America website (link is below)....

www.margaret-hamilton.artistwebsites.com

Pick one of my photos as your personal favourite and a brief statement as to why it's your favourite.
The time limit on this giveaway is for one week...Contest will end at 6 PM on Wednesday, June 30th.
The winner who touches me with their reason for picking one particular photo, will get a signed, framed, print of their particular pick.

As a photographer, it's SO much fun to see what different people gravitate too and why....so I'm excited to see the choices.

Good luck to all!!! Leave your choice as a comment below, please!

TIME FLIES....!!!!

2010-06-21T19:09:00.008-04:00

Well, once again, the days have gone by and I didn't find time to do some posts.
There are so many things that have taken place and so many more things to take place. Where does one begin?
Let's start by confessing that I received my first speeding ticket in almost 20 years last week. This one will hurt! I was doing 108 kms. in an 80 km. speed limit. I had just passed someone and came over the hill to encounter an unmarked police car. I tried to explain to the officer that I just passed someone but she wasn't interested in my story. I admitted I was, indeed, speeding but there was a reason for it. $135.00 later and I'm sure a couple of points, it's now in the past.

I was busy with some meetings for a sale I'm helping chair in September called "Artisans & Arpeggio" for the Keene United Church. We will have artists selling their works, various unique food vendors and will serve wine and cheeses from the area. This is a fundraiser to help the church repair a very, very large and very, very old stained glass window in need of some tender loving care. I just finished drafting a contract for all the vendors which need to get mailed out.

We also spent a couple of days getting ready for a community garage sale. The sale was Saturday and was not a huge success. The up side, however, was we met some new people who have moved into the Keene area and thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ held afterward. I'm more and more convinced that garage sales are a waste of time. I will post the larger items we had for sale on Kijiji and see what happens.

I've entered four more Juried Art and Photography Shows and two of them you enter your work and they pick what will get shown the day before. The other two, you're required to send .jpg photos and they will be juried and then you're notified if you're accepted. It's a fair amount of work to prepare for these shows.

I've also been invited to attend a photo shoot on July 9th at the Picton Beach marshes on July 9th. This will be a first for me, so I'm really looking forward to it.

At the moment, I've been sick for two days and really don't have much energy or enthusiasm for much. I must 'buck up' and keep on moving.

Below are some of my photo submissions for the art shows.....

BACK TO ETSY SHOP FEATURES....

2010-06-16T19:01:00.011-04:00

Well, it's been a week since I did a post and have given much thought this past while how I want to move forward with my blog.
Yes, I'll still include some personal posts, but want to feature an Etsy shop once a week, a recipe spot and maybe even some other surprises as I go along.

TODAY, I'm going to feature another Etsy shop....

Up until this point, I have not featured any shop like this, but will continue to find more unique shops you might be interested in and maybe even purchase an item or two!

This particular shop is called 'Midwest Finds'. They have been featured in a few well known articles and venues so I hope you enjoy. I've basically transferred an interview these wonderful people did before and added a few of my favourite pieces from their shop.... Sit back and enjoy!

Please go visit their shop and I hope you find something you like and must have!

www.midwestfinds.etsy.com

Tell us a bit about yourself. We are Bernard and Jena, living among the cornfields of Illinois. We met in college while he was singing and playing the piano in my dorm lounge (I guess I'm a groupie). That was 27 years ago! Since then, we've had three kids, lived in eight different places, been to India five times and started a nonprofit organization.

We live in an old church building just two blocks from the town square. That's 6,000 square feet--plenty of room to store jars and all our treasures! The church is actually connected to a four-bedroom house that once stood across the street. In the 1950s, the church bought the house and attached it to the church building for Sunday school rooms and office space. The church is a one-room chapel built in 1912 and the house is a magnificent mission-style structure, full of woodwork and stained glass. We love beautiful, historic things, so living in this place has been a wonderful adventure.

Our shop is really a family business. Our son is off at college, but the girls help clean jars and pack boxes. They also give us advice about what's "cool" enough to put in the store.

Apart from creating things, what do you do? Bernard is a bassoonist and teaches music theory to college students. And up until last month, we were home schoolers but our students have now graduated. Now that it's summer break for Bernard, we spend our time going to auctions and cleaning jars and cleaning jars and cleaning jars. What else is there in life?

I (Jena) love to write and take pictures, so listing items on our store and working on my blog is my idea of fun. I also like to knit and flip through old books.

What first made you want to become an artist? This is an interesting question for a vintage seller, but we know what you mean. Our Etsy shop started with a garage sale. Bernard came home with a basket full of miscellaneous jars. When we looked them up, we found a complete subculture of Ball jar collectors! That intrigued us and the more we studied, the more fascinated we became. And besides, we were looking for something to do together. The kids were growing up and we needed to reconnect, so what better way than to become treasure hunters together?

Now, as we look at all the damaged jars we run across, we want to find ways to recycle them and that's an exciting project we're working on right now.

Please describe your creative process. As our jar obsession began to take hold, we wanted to incorporate jars into everyday life. Standing at my kitchen sink, I looked at my plastic soap dispenser and thought, "Why can't a Ball jar be a soap dispenser?" We had never seen one but my creative husband went to the basement and came back with a pump lid to fit a jar. He just does that. Give him a problem and he solves it. It doesn't hurt that we have every item known to man somewhere in our basement.

Our hanging jars developed more slowly. We'd seen other hanging jars but didn't like the way they looked. Eventually we came up with the chain and wire combination. His years of making bassoon reeds came in handy--working with wire and pliers is second nature.

Bernard also likes to dig into the sides of creeks, looking for buried jars. That's when he found several ornate broken plates and decided to try his hand at cutting the porcelain and making earrings.

We also just bought a kiln, planning to recycle jars into something new and beautiful. We're always looking for ways to be creative with what we have on hand.

What handmade possession do you most cherish? Our most cherished possessions are historic ones--I have my great grandmother's butter churn and pottery, and an old photograph of the farm they built themselves in the early 20th century. They came from Germany to be farmers and coal miners here in Illinois. That's why we love surrounding ourselves with vintage items--they connect us with the people of the past.

Bernard's favorite is an original (there are lots of reproductions) red-amber Mason's Patent quart fruit jar that he found at an auction.

A GOOD DAY!

2010-06-09T23:10:00.003-04:00

Although I spent the entire day in my PJ's, I got a lot accomplished today. This is the first day I've intentionally not gone in to workout. My personal trainer resigned and I'm waiting to hear which of the other trainers will take over. I went to bed tired and woke up tired, so decided I'd just work at my own pace without any pressure. It was perfect timing, as it poured rain here most of the day.

Well, I managed to clean my house as we have guests arriving tomorrow afternoon from British Columbia. They used to be our neighbours here in Keene and while living here, we had SO much fun! We will play euchre and poker, for sure! Oh yes, there might even be a few drinks, as well.

I finished the custom ordered plate and will deliver some time over the weekend.

I go back to Warkworth tomorrow to deliver four plates to a shop there. She's going to try four on consignment....works for me!

A well paced, pleasant day!

SIMPLE PLEASURES....

2010-06-06T20:59:00.003-04:00

This has been another crazy week, but I decided I was taking time to enjoy some of my personal simple pleasures like....

Sitting out front watching the birds at the feeders and listening to their songs
Buying myself a double scoop maple walnut ice cream cone
Going through some old pictures of my brother and me
Having a wonderful coffee and warm raspberry and white chocolate scone in Warkworth
Getting on Skype with Maggie after she received my little parcel
Taking my time driving to Brockville, listening to music I like
Taking photos of a beautiful butterfly
Laying in bed an extra fifteen minutes before rising
Eating chinese food with my friend
Stopping on the side of the country road to watch the clouds
Singing at the top of my lungs in the car
Spraying my pillows with lilac linen scent

Silly, but those are just a few of the things that make me appreciate my life!

A WEIRD WEEK..........

2010-06-02T20:59:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been almost a week since I've posted anything. I must admit that this past weekend, I allowed myself some time to just 'veg' out and do a bit of reading. I did attend a seminar on Saturday morning that was interesting. It was by a woman who was originally from British Columbia, but now lives in Chatham, Ontario. Her story is very impressive. You can learn about her if you go to www.RichMom.com.

I did a bit of gardening, but it was WAY too hot and humid to stay out for very long. I finally turned the central air conditioning on! We so needed rain! Fortunately, it's been raining since about 4PM and we can only hope it continues all night. Our plants, our grass are quite pitiful. We have a well, so really can't risk setting up sprinklers. The only thing that seems to be thriving are the weeds!

Monday, I finally had my throat surgery. Not as easy this time! This is the second vellecula cyst I've had to have removed from my throat. They tell me there's no rhyme or reason why people get them. Trust me, they are very annoying. You constantly feel like you have a peanut or something caught in your throat. I constantly clear my throat and cough a lot. Right now, I'm still pretty sore, but each day is getting better.

Tomorrow, I go see a shop owner in Warkworth to show her some of my plates. I sure hope she likes them well enough to purchase wholesale or take in on consignment.! From there I'm heading to Brockville for the rest of the day and overnight. I will be returning with a great treadmill my friends are giving me. Yeah!

Since I felt kind of lousy yesterday, I did some computer work. I was referred to a company called Vista Print and spent about an hour on the phone with them. They walked me through a complete design of a 'Maggie's Studio' set up for a marketing card I can hand out. I'm really excited about it! My 'rack cards' will arrive in about a week!

I also have a custom order for a plate to complete within the next week.

We also have friends arriving for a couple of days from British Columbia. They used to be our neighbours here. They are SO much fun! They usually trek back to Ontario for a couple of weeks and do their tour of family and friends. Hmmm, better get my house cleaned as well!

CATCH UP MODE.......!!!!

2010-05-28T20:30:00.004-04:00

Wow, I'm definitely in catch up mode!
Our dear friend, Shirl, left last night to go home to England. It was SO great getting almost two weeks to spend time with her here. In April, I got to visit with her for a couple of days at my youngest daughter's in Princeton.
This was the first time Shirl had come in nice weather, so we were able to do so much more and see so much more!

I took her all over the place and she got to see a lot of my family as well. I think she had a really good time. We took her on the liftlock boat cruise as Peterborough has the highest lift locks in the world. It is very weird to be in a boat on water and have it lift up approx. 70 feet in order to get to the next lock system.It's something to experience, for sure.

I also took her to Gallery of the Lake, which is a beautiful art gallery in Buckhorn set back in the woods right on the Lake. She purchased a beautiful piece of jewellry for herself from a wonderful artist.

I now have a lot to do. I began by responding to many emails that needed a reply and managed to get that caught up last night. I'm hopefully going back to Warkworth next week to show some of my plates to a shop there. Hopefully, she'll like my work well enough to purchase some pieces or let me show on consignment. There is a new art gallery in Peterborough and I'd like to get some of my photography in there for a period of time. I need to replace my photography at our local Tea Room to encourage some new interest.

Monday I have throat surgery. It's no real big deal. I've had this surgery two years ago and it went fine. Let's hope it goes as well this time.

I also have to go to Brockville to visit with some friends. They sold their beautiful home on the St. Lawrence river and are beginning a new adventure. They've purchased a motorhome and will spend the winters travelling wherever the wind takes them. They are editing their belongings and I've been offered their treadmill...yeah!
We will do a trade for some of my works down the road. Happy, happy! They close the sale on June 15th and they want stuff picked up by the end of next week. It's a win, win for me. I get a treadmill and get to visit with some old and dear friends for a little while.

Busy, busy!

SHIRLEY'S WEEK ONE.......

2010-05-22T22:17:00.008-04:00

Well, it's been very busy since our friend Shirley arrived from England a little over a week ago. First, was the bridal shower for my niece. Each day we've visited a different town in the area and enjoyed trying some new restaurants for lunch. One of Shirl's requests each time she comes is to eat, at least once, at a Canadian chain called Swiss Chalet. They do rotisserie chickens, which are consistently wonderful, super excellent fries and salad.......we did that! My daughter's also love to go there when they come home.

We've been to Warkworth, Campbellford, Hastings and Bobcaygeon so far! We've had lunch at our local Village Tea Room, The Magic Rolling Pin Tea Room. Quite frankly, we've been and done so much, I'm forgetting where all we've been. We've also had a few ice cream cones from our local Kawartha Dairy. They have numerous varieties of ice cream so we try a different flavour each time we go....Yummy!

Today, we went to the Hiawatha First Nations Pow-Wow....such colourful and elaborate costumes and dancing! It's so incredible the amount of work that goes into just one costume...so beautiful! I enjoyed the little kids in their costumes and their dancing..! Cute!

Tomorrow, we're going to the Gallery on the Lake(Buckhorn) Art Gallery, then to the Buckhorn Fine Art show and on to my sister-in-law's place for a 'girls' dinner...six women to sit and talk and sip a few drinks.....and eat, of course.

Monday, we will go on the Liftlock Boat Cruise. We didn't realize that Shirley has never gone on this cruise. It's kind of cool when the boat does the transfer lift and you're 150 ft. in the air, in water and sitting in a boat. The view up top is absolutely spectacular!

Through all of the touring, I've still managed to do my 2 hour workouts at the club every second day and walk on the alternate days. It's SO frustrating that in almost six months, I've only lost two pounds and 1% body fat!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHH!

BRIDAL SHOWER A SUCCESS....

2010-05-18T19:06:00.005-04:00

Well, a lot of planning and a lot of work BUT the bridal shower for my niece, Kelly was a wonderful afternoon! Although the shower was not a surprise, her Mom and I decided not to tell her our friend, Shirley would be here from England. As they came up the walkway Shirley opened the door and just completely shocked Kelly. Kel began to cry with excitement. I also think it shows how 'on edge' she is at the moment.

I had requested that the guests purchase gift cards from one particular Canadian store ( The Bay ) which they could use to apply to a brand new, extra large boxspring and mattress. Since they both had their own apartments, they said they didn't need much. Having said that, they really, really wanted and needed a new bed. They received enough in gift cards to almost completely pay for their new bed. I just heard from her Mom they put in the difference and are SO ecstatic to have a new bed!

The big hit as far as food was the Belgian chocolate fondue fountain....Delicious and just plain fun!

I have a cousin who has taken up cake decorating who offered to do a cake for the occasion. Below is the end result.........just beautiful!!!

FINALLY, HERE'S SOME OF MY NEW PLATES!

2010-05-13T21:53:00.008-04:00

Well, the photography still isn't very good, but it will give you an idea of what I've been up to on and off. I'm going to order off eBay proper photography lamps and then work on improving my plate photography. It's difficult because there isn't any natural light and photographing off glass is tricky as well. I will get better at it though!
Here goes.........hope you see something you like! Hope there are people out there who like some pieces well enough to purchase!

BUSY, BUT FUN WEEK..

2010-05-13T21:18:00.004-04:00

It's been quite a busy week so far, and the balance of the week is even busier!
Monday, I met with my trainer and went through the new program she's written for me to try a new strategy. My new workout for the weights, etc. is focused on core and aerobics. The good news was I finally lost 2 lbs. and a little over 1% BMI....FINALLY! It's nothing to jump up and down about after four months of working out, but it's moving in the right direction.

Tuesday, I was up at 5:30am to get ready for a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Immediately afterward sat with my family for our weekly 'family' breakfast. There was a lot of running around to do afterward. I needed to purchase things for the bridal shower I'm having for my niece this Saturday. I also tried to get a bit more gardening done. I'm no where near finished, but slow and steady will be the game.

Wednesday, I spent most of the day cleaning and reorganizing my craft room. Boy! did it need it!!! It's not ideal, but certainly better than it was so, I'm happy.
Wednesday afternoon, my cousin held a tea for two of my aunts. One turned 92 years of age and one turned 83 years old within a week of each other. It was really lovely!
They get so tickled with the attention and the little gifts we present to them. We treasure any and all moments we spend with them. Sadly, my 83 year old is suffering from Alzheimers and somedays are good and some not so good! What a cruel disease!

One of my aunt's grandaughter's has taken up a new career of cake decorating. She is really, really great at it! Here's the cake she made for the two aunties....amazing!

Today, I went to the other family breakfast for my Mom's side of the family. I again, had last minute things to pick up for that as well. I orderd handmade truffles as a hand out to each of the guests. The girl did a wonderful job! Each truffle was put in it's own little box and tied up with a lovely pink ribbon...so cute!

Tomorrow, I go for a manicure and pedicure and then have to pick up the balloons. I'll come home to get a dinner ready that can be reheated later in the day. Why you ask? Well, our good friend, Shirley is arriving tomorrow from England for two weeks and anyone who has travelled overseas knows flights can be somewhat unpredicatble.I really look forward to her visits. I wonder what kind of 'mischief' we can get into while she's here...hmmmm!

Saturday, of course, is the bridal shower for my niece, Kelly. She's getting married on August 28th, 2010. I hope to post some pictures next week.

Should be a FUN weekend! I just hope the weather cooperates, as it's pouring rain at the moment.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!!!!!

2010-05-09T01:01:00.007-04:00

To all the other mothers I know, Happy Mother's Day!

To my daughter's Marlo and Lindsay, you gave me the title of 'Mother'. You have provided me with many days of smiles, many days of laughter, and continue to give me many days of pride. I now wish the same for both of you as mothers yourselves. Yes, there are days of frustration, days of angst, some days with tears and other days of all out craziness, BUT, it is SO worth it! I hope I've given some honour to my title as 'Mom'.

I reflect on this day and am somewhat saddened that my mother is no longer with me. We had some pretty rough periods, but also had some really wonderful times, as well. She was beautiful, conscientious, adventurous, and really loved life and family.
I miss her smile, her laugh, her talent and her wonderment! I wish I could have her back for just one day to tell her once again, 'Mom, I love you' and you did your absolute best. My Mom spent a very large part of her life in a wheelchair crippled from osteoarthritis. I'm not sure, given the same circumstances I would have done as well.

NEGLECTED..........

2010-05-07T00:09:00.006-04:00

Yes, that's what my poor blog has been for the past 12 days....neglected!
It's been both a satisfying and frustrating time for me lately. I made a list the beginning of this year of things I wanted to accomplish. Guess what! As of now, I think only one thing on that list is completed. My 'Type A' personality used to have a slight fit if things on lists didn't get checked off and completed. One thing age has done for me has taught me it's not the end of the world if I don't meet my intended schedules. Somehow, in the end, I do accomplish my set tasks. I actually knew someone who made a list of things to do for each week. On that list, she'd actually have 'make a to-do list' for the following week. Never been quite that specific!

I feel great in that we accomplished a lot with the gardens. However, we still have a few more gardens to get completed. With removing mulch, weeding, and transplanting it always takes a LOT more time than one thinks. The tulips and daffodils will probably be gone by the end of the weekend...:( At the moment, my rock garden looks beautiful!

I've had numerous and sundry appointments. I spend almost no time with my father, however, he asked me to help him visit a funeral home to get all the details and costs. After two years of me suggesting he prepay his funeral, he has finally decided to do so. There are many reasons I wanted this done, which I won't go into, but it's a relief to know all the decisions have been made. The main impetus for my Dad deciding to do this, I believe, is a new additional tax that takes effect July 1st on funeral expenses. If one prepays, they are exempt from the new tax.

I had every great intention of posting some photos of the new plates I've completed. As I write this, I'm so frustrated with the photos I took. I will try to shoot them again. Part of my dilemma, is the fact there is no ideal location in my house with decent lighting to photograph. I'm actually investigating on ebay for photo lights. I'll try again this weekend, but definitely have to find a better solution.

I did some baking as we have our good friend, Shirley arriving a week tomorrow from England. I've also been busy making a collage of my niece, Kelly. I'm holding a bridal shower for her next weekend. I'm using it as a guest book of sorts. Each guest will be asked to sign the back of the shadow box so she''ll have a permanent record of who attended..something a little bit different.

I'm going with my newest friend, Marg to a fashion show tomorrow night. It will be a great break from the usual.

To all the Mothers out there, have a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope you have a special day! Now that my daughters are mothers as well, one day maybe we'll get to celebrate Mother's Day together. Once a mother, always a mother! It's a most special kind of love.

SPRING AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.....

2010-04-24T20:31:00.007-04:00

One of the many wonderful things about spring, aside from the weather, is getting outside and reconnecting. In my neighbourhood, as in most, people are now out raking, mowing, cleaning yards, and just relaxing outside.
You see your neighbours and you may go across the street to say 'Hi' and catch up on their family, you may see your neighbour out mowing his/her lawn and wave, and you see many of your neighbours just out for a stroll in the warmth of the day.
We all kind of hibernate in the winter. We may call a neighbour once in a while, but Canadian winters are not conducive to outdoor chats.

Today, as yesterday, I was out raking, pulling and doing general clean up of my 78 ft. rock garden. What a mess! I'm eager to get it finished as the crocus are up, the dwarf iris are just starting to bud out, the muscari are almost ready, my rock cress varieties are just in bloom, and the creeping phlox is just showing signs of blooms.

I love the gardening, although my body feels it more these days. It also takes a bit longer to accomplish a task because one's neighbour's do stop to chat and we get caught up on each other's lives. Sometimes, you get a bit of gossip as well.

When I was working today on the rock garden, my neighbour's dog came to say 'Hi' to me. She is the most beautiful dog and she loves attention. Her name is 'Kit'. She'll run around you and sometimes bark with excitement. She loves to eat carrots, so of course, I got her a carrot! Best friends forever! I appreciate most dogs, but I've never really wanted one of my own. I had a Samoyed at one time, but way too high maintenance. They seem like so much work after having cats! Cats are just so independent.

This week, I managed to get six plates made and will post one or two on my blog within the next day or so. I'll also post to my Facebook wall.

My problem, so to speak, is I'd much rather be making plates, doing photography, and gardening than the mundane chores of housecleaning and cooking these days. I really do get so lost in my own world when I'm doing what I love. It's quite cathartic for me!

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be rich enough to hire people to do what I would rather not have to do....hmmm! It's never going to happen so I should just quit wondering! I learned a long time ago that wishing doesn't make it happen.

LAUGH............FIND SOMETHING

2010-04-22T00:42:00.005-04:00

We all have ups and downs in our lives, but I believe if you can find SOMETHING to laugh at, SOMEONE who makes you laugh, it's a pretty good day!

My cousin has two sons who have VERY creative minds. Last night I went on my Facebook account around midnight and they had posted a small video of themselves that absolutely cracked me up! I'm not going into the craziness, but it was goofy, silly but f-u-n-n-y! These two come up with the craziest ideas to make others laugh AND to make themselves laugh. Each has such a wonderful spirit, but I must admit they border on the weird at times. I'd love to be inside their heads just once. Actually, maybe not! By the way, these two are in their early twenties.

My daughter just after Christmas sent me a daily calendar with thoughts and quotes written by women. There is at least one quote a week that really makes me smile and even laugh sometimes!

Then, I was driving to Hastings last night to attend a photography get together and webinar by Niksoft. There was one of those message boards on the side of the road which was suppose to be selling something. Someone had changed the lettering and as I drove by and read, 'Boobs' for sale, it gave me such a chuckle. It's country surroundings and farm area. How out of place is a sign with that wording anywhere, much less on a country farm road. I may drive back there with my camera and take a picture....funny! I'm still trying to figure out what it was really suppose to say. Hmmmmm!!

I went out to have a coffee with my brother today. He always says something to make me laugh or I him. At times, I'm sure we're the only two that would find our discussions funny.

I'm crafting tomorrow morning with my cousins and we ALWAYS find something to giggle about or downright belly laugh about.

I LOVE to laugh!! I LOVE people who can make me laugh! Find something every day that either makes you smile or makes you downright laugh until you are in tears!!!

RUNAWAY TRAIN.................

2010-04-18T10:33:00.005-04:00

Do you ever feel like you're on a runaway train! At the moment, that's me!
I have SO much that must get done and SO much I'd like to get done, I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment.

I need to get my craft room reorganized as it's completely out of control. People who know me, know I don't function very well in chaos. My craft room is in chaos. I'm working on new decoupage plates so there's paint, glass plates, etc. etc. all over my work surface. I'm trying to go through photographs to do a collage for my niece to present to her at a bridal shower I'm planning for her in May, I have to get some photos framed to place in a shop downtown, I have decorative items for glass blocks that need to be put in the appropriate boxes and so on and so on! Crazy!

I'm trying to market my photography to various restaurants, etc. to hang and sell on consignment. I'm really hoping to get more exposure locally, but I'm also struggling with learning how to use the social networking sites. Two teams of Trent University students have written social networking marketing plans for me. They did an amazing job! Now, all I have to do is figure out how to actually implement their plans. I get frustrated that technology gets the better of me. Being a hands-on learner doesn't bode well when you have to rely written instructions.

I'm involved in a 12 person arts project for Artsweek in September which entails meetings, writing, photography and some design.

It's also the time of year to begin cleaning up all the gardens on our property and we have many. That's a one week job, for sure. Windows need washing as well, which usually falls on me, as my husband is afraid of heights.

Hmmmm, I don't handle time as well now compared to when I was younger. For some things, it takes me longer to accomplish than it should.

I'm always amazed when I actually get everything done and wonder to myself why I got so uptight at the list of things to do. I am getting better at sorting 'must do's' from 'want to's.

Well, back on that train!

FITNESS.........MENTAL AND PHYSICAL......

2010-04-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

There are some people who I believe L-O-V-E working out and being physical 24/7. I am NOT one of those people! I certainly respect and admire them, but I've known some who are almost obsessive about this part of their life.
I, on the other hand, must conscientiously plan and commit to this aspect of my life.
While away, I wasn't very good.
I restarted my workouts at the Fitness Centre on Monday. Trust me,I paid for slacking off! Every part of me ached on Monday night! I went again yesterday and it was a little easier to get through the entire workout routine. For something that is suppose to energize you, I was exhausted last night! It will get better! Four months into this process and I haven't lost one pound or one inch. Discouraging is the word that comes to mind. At this point, I need to see just a little progress to keep me motivated and encouraged. I set a one year goal and will definitely stick with it,
but the mental part is the toughest for me right now. Oh well, I'll just keep on keepin' on!

ROAD TRIPS OVER....BACK TO A ROUTINE......

2010-04-11T20:37:00.009-04:00

Well, I arrived home on Friday night revitalized and really feeling great after time with my oldest daughter, my son-in-law and of course, my little man. My timing for this trip was perfect as Marlo was off Good Friday, the Saturday and then Easter Sunday. We got to spend some quality time which I so enjoyed!

Mason loves to play 'drum and flag corps' so I brought him an Olympic flag which he loves to twirl and pretend he's in a marching band and drum corps. He's actually very good at the movements using the flag! He was quite excited to have his own Olympic flag. He had watched some of the Olympics with his Mommy and knew they had been held in Canada this year....BUT, he really only cared about the flag.

Being Easter, Mason went on two different Easter egg hunts and 'Grammie' got to be at both. He is such a special boy and I get so much pleasure spending time with him. We had a 'Grammie and Mason' day and we went to the Aquatic Centre and spent over two and a half hours just having fun in the water. Mason's request was to go to McDonald's for lunch as he's collecting all the dragons from the kids meals.
He's taking piano lessons so Grammie got to attend one of those as well. I told him some day he'll be a 'rock star' and maybe be star piano player in some band...maybe. He will be what he wants to be, but it sure will be interesting to see where his life leads. Both his Mom and I feel he's destined for Broadway. He's very theatrical. The kids musicals that are out on DVD, he has most of the songs and words memorized...amazing ability for that type of thing!! Talent galore!

I then headed on up to Ohio and spent a day and a half with our friends there. Deb and Doc are so easy to be around and Deb always sends me away with gifts. They are not needed but so appreciated. This time I was blessed to receive two different sets of custom jewellry that a friend of Deb's makes. I wore one set today to two different family gatherings and received many compliments. These are two very special people!

I have been slack with my exercising and will start over again beginning tomorrow. I don't feel quite so bad because I hadn't lost a single pound or inch exercising every day for two months before I left...darn it!

Now, it's reality time again for me. I have SO much to get done and need my nose to the grindstone in order to catch up. It always amazes me how much one can accomplish when push comes to shove. Well, that will be me over the next while. It is SO worth the hard work ahead to have had time with my daughters and their families over the past month. I love them more than they'll ever know and my pride in them continues to grow with each passing year.

DERAILED......

2010-03-31T09:28:00.006-04:00

Well, it's weird, but I'm feeling a bit guilty. My exercise routines have been somewhat derailed over the past two to three weeks. I did a bit of hand weight training at my daughter's in Princeton, but certainly wasn't diligent about it.
Then, I managed to get the flu again and did absolutely nothing last week or this week. I must admit to feeling slightly beat up. It's only in the last day I feel my energy level starting to improve.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm basically 'starting over'. I can't beat myself up too much or I won't get back on track. The upside is I hadn't budged in the two months of working out every single day so don't have anything to make up.

Tomorrow, I'm leaving for my oldest daughter's in North Carolina. In speaking with her last night, she said she has a yoga ball and 5 lb. weights which is great! I'll bring my 8 lb. weights and my work out clothes. I really will try to do some of my exercise routines while there.

Last night, I was in 'deadline' mode. I'm part of an arts team that is submitting to the Peterborough Arts Council a media submission to be juried for Artsweek 2010. All submissions are due by April 12th for the jury to decide who will participate. Since I'm leaving town, I had to get my portion completed and submitted to our chairman. I'm submitting photography and writing a portion of the overall project. Our theme is 'Water'. We've all submitted titles but nothing decided as yet. The Artsweek isn't until mid-September so, if our team is picked, we'll have a lot of work to do. There is writers, dancers, musicians,actors, photographers and a computer whiz on our team.

Tonight, I go to Trent University to hear a presentation done by a group of business and marketing students on behalf of my photography business. I'm really looking forward to hearing what they have to say! This whole presentation is based on marketing on the 'social networking sites' and helping me to design a website conducive to this type of marketing. At the end of the evening, I get the entire presentation in a binder to keep. My presentation isn't until 8:30pm and will go until 9 pm. I'm excited.

I hope to be on the road by 6am tomorrow morning. Can't wait to see my daughter and her family!

BEAMING WITH PRIDE .....WITH LOTS OF LOVE AND AFFECTION!!!

2010-03-28T11:03:00.013-04:00

This weekend my two daughters and their children are together enjoying time with each other. As an added bonus, Shirley, our friend from England got to join them.
Shirl is a very important part of both my daughter's lives and mine. She became a part of our family many years ago. After I had my second daughter and returned to work, I hired Shirley as a live-in nanny for both my girls. One of the best things I ever did. She was only nineteen years old at the time and other than a phone call to her in England, she had no idea how her life would change, nor did we. She was scared and homesick at first. In time, however, she blended in to our family and gave the girls as good or better care than I. We wanted her to stay a part of our family even after she finished working for us. Since Shirl is an only child and never married, my girls and now their children, are incredibly important to Shirl. She has a family she loves and who love her immensely! For me, she's like a younger sister. Definitely, a win-win for all!

They've had some photos taken to mark this weekend and I've just posted a few. I must say I beam with pride when I look at my two daughters and what they've accomplished. It's not just their professional lives I'm so proud of, rather I'm more proud of how they've become wonderful women, mothers and human beings. Their capacity for love and caring and sharing is what I love about them the most.

God blessed me with two wonderful gifts called Marlo and Lindsay. They, in turn, blessed me with two great sons-in-laws and then my very special 'little man' and my very special 'sweet pea'. Life is good.

HOME AGAIN....BRIEFLY!

2010-03-27T12:12:00.011-04:00

Well, I arrived home from Princeton, New Jersey on Wednesday. Unfortunately, by the time I got here, I'd picked up a bug and felt really crappy. Thursday, went to the day clinic to discover I had a flu bug. What sucks about that is I had received the H1N1 shot and this year's flu shot. Apparently, whatever I have didn't get factored into the flu shot for this year. So, I'm now on antibiotics and actually starting to feel much better. I'm still coughing and sound like a bullfrog, but do feel much better. I hope this is over as I have plans to go to North Carolina this Thursday.

My time spent in Princeton was great! Any time I get to spend with my daughter, my son-in-law and my grandaughter is really special for me. The plan was me to arrive on Friday, March 12th and my daughter and her husband to take off on the Sunday for a few days by themselves and I'd look after my little munchkin for three days. Mother Nature had other plans. I arrived on the Friday to heavy rain and by the Saturday night part of their house was flooded and we had no power. We spent a lot of the Saturday bailing water out of their basement. With no power, the sump pump didn't work and the house was getting colder and colder. The 'kids' made a decision to cancel their trip and try to reschedule for later in the week, which they did. Sadly, for them, they didn't get to leave until the Tuesday and arrived back on the Thursday, but did get a bit of time alone. I believe a backup battery for the sump pump is now on their priority purchase list. The Sunday night, we actually had to go to a hotel as it was just too cold at the house.

Meanwhile, Maggie and I had a whole lot of fun together. Unless this little one isn't feeling well, she is, without a doubt, one of the happiest little one's I've ever seen. The weather turned beautiful and we did walks, we coloured, we drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, we went shopping, and just had some general 'silly' time together. She is growing SO fast and when you only see them a few times a year in person, the moments together are really special. She is my little 'sweet pea'.

We took Mags to 'Little Gym'. I got to watch her have so much fun! She really loves that time! Then, my daughter and I got to spend the whole afternoon together in Manhattan and that was so great! We spent a lot of time talking about our family, her career, her hopes and dreams, my hopes and dreams, and just getting caught up. The one on one time really meant a lot to me. I'm SO proud of both my daughters! I'm looking forward to the same with my oldest daughter in the coming week.

On the last Saturday, an added bonus was our family friend from England arrived to spend two weeks with my daughter and her family.

Life, on the whole, is good, really good!

LEAVING TOMORROW....

2010-03-11T21:35:00.005-05:00

Well, I leave tomorrow morning to stay with my youngest daughter for a while.
Because I'll be away and have limited access to a computer, I probably won't be blogging too, too much.
I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter, my grandaughter and my son-in-law.
I am blessed on so many levels! Hopefully, the drive won't be too bad. Right now, they are calling for some rain. Hope not, as it makes for a less pleasurable trip.

The Warkworth Fine Art Show will be held this coming weekend while I'm away. It would really be 'icing on the cake' so to speak if I returned to find out one or both of my pieces sold. If they don't that's OK too, as I'm thrilled to be in my first real art show!

Stepping stones...right?

BACK IN THE GROOVE.....!

2010-03-10T19:37:00.003-05:00

Well, I've lost some workout time due to the flu bug that got me. It took me a few days to get back enough strength to get back at it.
I met with my trainer today to go over a complete routine that I can do while I travel. I'm leaving Friday to go visit my youngest daughter, her husband, and my sweet little grandaughter (two and a half years old).
All of the workout routines use either the ball, the mat and hand weights. Along with those, she's added quite a few core exercises and stretches. It's my core area that REALLY needs the work. Based on my first attempts today, I have a long, long way to go before I'll lose my gut. OMG, these core exercises are very tough for me at the moment. Lynda(my trainer) says I'll get better and will build up my time holding each movement....whew!
I'm thinking it's a really good thing that I set a one year goal. I believe it may very well take me the year. I'm trying different eating routines to see if anything helps me begin to lose a bit of weight. What's that expression...' If at first you don't succeed try, try again'.

DOING A HAPPY DANCE!...

2010-03-06T20:02:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm SO excited! I spent the day in Warkworth, Ontario where I submitted three of my framed photos for a juried art show to be held next weekend.
Two of my three got selected to be part of that show!!! Yeah!! I didn't win any of the prize monies BUT I am in the show. This is the first time I've taken my art and my passion to a new level and I'm really gratified by today's results.
It's been a good weekend! Not only will my art be in the show next weekend, but the gentleman that called me to compliment me on my photography at the Tea Room purchased one of the pieces yesterday. How exciting!
I love this new found passion and it's definitely a confidence builder. It tells me to keep on keepin' on!

JURIED ART SHOW...TOMORROW!

2010-03-05T19:00:00.004-05:00

Well, tomorrow could be exciting for me. I've entered three of my photographs, custom framed for a juried art show in the town of Warkworth, Ontario. This town is well known for all it's artsy stuff going on all the time. If one or all of my photos are picked, they will be hung in the community centre for the duration of the Maple Syrup Festival. I'm both anxious and excited!
Whether picked or not, the judge will be at the centre after 3 PM tomorrow to critique and comment and notify the 'winners' of the juried show. The other plus to this is if my pieces are picked, they will be up for sale as well.
Keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

Another positive part of my day today was the sale of another photo framed....yeah!
It was sold to the dear gentleman that called to compliment me on my work while visiting our local Tea Room.....thank you, God!

Stay tuned...........

O CANADA!........WITH PRIDE!! A GREAT OLYMPICS!

2010-03-01T23:11:00.008-05:00

Well, the Olympic Games of 2010 are now over! As a proud Canadian I, for one, think Vancouver did a wonderful job as the host nation. I'm sure there will be criticisms and compliments both, but I believe Canada managed to show the world what makes us unique. Then there's the medals. Canada has had their best Olympics ever. It has taken this country quite some time to provide financial backing to help these athletes. Both the government and the corporate sector who stepped up to the plate this time need not sit back. Continued support is critical to these athletes to focus on 2014.
On a personal note, these Olympics gave us some pride as well. My sister-in-law was the first ever female head official for the curling portion of these Olympics. I can't think of anyone more deserving to be the first. We saw her quite a few times on TV. She is an amazing person and her knowledge of the game and the calm demeanour she consistently has, make her one person I admire immensely. I look forward to speaking with her and hearing all the personal stories I'm sure she will have to share. Her birthday is tomorrow and I'm sure all she will want is to be in her own home, her own bed and just plain rest and relax. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a very special woman in my life!

I COULD BE DEPRESSED...BUT...I'M NOT!

2010-02-26T22:29:00.006-05:00

Well, on Wednesday my trainer weighed me, measured me and was totally dumbfounded. After 52 days of working out one to two hours,six days a week, along with Zumba dancing on Mondays and Aqua fit on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I haven't lost one single pound, one single inch and not one point off my BMI. She is totally bewildered by this situation. I adjusted my diet two weeks ago and that hasn't helped either. You would think SOMETHING would have changed....not so! She knows I have Grave's disease and hypothyroidism and warned me my process would be slower, however, even she can't believe nothing has happened!!!!! Well, that makes two of us!!!
Never mind, when I started this process I said I'd give it one full year and that's what I plan to do! The trainer has suggested I get my thyroid levels tested and if within the normal range still, we will definitely look at a major diet change. That's really the only other option at this point.....:(
I had my trainer add more weight and repetitions to my weight program and then we added another program using the 'ball' and hand weights so that when I travel I still have a regimen to follow when I have no access to weight machines.
I'm suppose to start my new program tomorrow. We'll see.

I had to drive through a snowstorm today to go to Mississauga to see a doctor. What normally takes about two hours and fifteen minutes, took me four hours this morning. It was a bit better coming back late this afternoon, but by the time I got home I felt a cold and maybe some flu symptoms coming on. Right now, I'm feeling pretty lousy. I'll give it overnight, but if I improve somewhat, I'd still like to go to the fitness centre. I need to judge that tomorrow as I don't want to risk other people getting whatever this is...not a good thing to do!

Good things are happening and I feel positive that will continue. Today, for the first time in a long, long time I sold one of my plates on my Etsy site......yeah!

Next weekend is the juried art show and I choose to be positive and want to believe at least one of my photos will get picked for the show.....that would be my first!

Got to see my little 'Maggie' on Skype tonight....yep, she is her Mother's daughter!

My new girlfriend Marg, called and said she had an extra ticket for the theatre tonight and would I like to join her. Too bad I'm not feeling well.
There was also another benefit for 'Seeds of Hope' tonight and couldn't make that either. Never mind, there will be more opportunities in the future.

Well, I'm going to take some cold medicine and head to bed real soon! Gosh, it's so inconvenient when one is sick!

FAMILY GATHERINGS...

2010-02-21T23:36:00.002-05:00

We spent a wonderful afternoon with some special cousins and 'family'. One of my cousins, Pat, decided we needed to connect so we had a gathering of 'family' for a mid afternoon dinner. It was so great to see many and so great to enjoy all the wonderful food laid out. Unfortunately, these family gatherings aren't the best when one is trying to lose weight. Everyone(the women, of course) contribute a pot luck dish and then we all get to feast. There was a delicious ham, sweet and sour meatballs, scalloped potatoes, carrots, green salad, coleslaw,baked beans, pickles, and homemade dinner rolls........Yummmmm! Then we went on to a wonderful array of desserts. There was homemade brownies, homemade chelsea buns, homemade butter tarts, homemade fudge, fresh fruit salad, and then I had made a dessert with whipping cream and chocolate wafer cookies. Certainly enjoyed the food, but definitely blew the restraint resolution. Oh well, it's the first since January. A great afternoon.
Friday I met another cousin at the Starbuck's inside our Chapters bookstore and we talked and talked and talked...great visit!

Friday night I ended up taking my husband to the hospital. He sliced his finger vertically on his middle finger with his band saw. Two hours later and five stitches later we got back home.

I took Friday off for my workouts, but then did Saturday and Sunday. Today was my weight training day. For some reason, found the workout a little more difficult today. Tomorrow evening is my Zumba class. I think there are three more classes before it ends. It certainly is a major cardio workout, but fun!

This evening was special as I got to get on Skype with both my grandson and my grandaughter. They give me such joy and love to see how they are definitely becoming their own individual personalities. I'm going to go visit each of them separately within the next two months....can't wait!

PERSEVERE.........THEN THE REWARD!

2010-02-18T19:22:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been a little over seven weeks since I started working out to meet my one year goal. I've been going every single day with the exception of two days since January 4th. Guess what? According to the scales here at home, I haven't lost one pound! :(
I meet with my trainer again next week and we will do all the measurements as far as weight, waist measurement, hip measurement, bust measurement, neck measurement, etc. etc. Then, it's the body fat measurement. Let's hope those have improved. I know I still have work to do about eating breakfast and lunch everyday. I'm really not good about eating those two meals. I'm going to try and work out weekly menus this weekend and prepare ahead of time as many things as I can.
I was doing weight training today at the fitness centre and my trainer happened to be there and she is really puzzled why I haven't lost any weight yet. She said I really do have a weird metabolism.
I'm a long way from giving up as there is still ten months to go. It's the end of this year that counts. My trainer and I will have to take a good look at alternate plans to get my body to kick start....should be interesting!
I'm less encouraged about finding a part time or full time job!!! I think I've sent out twenty one resumes so far and not even a phone call for an interview. My girlfriend tells me I should 'dumb down' my resume. I don't know how to do that without telling some lies and I refuse to do that! I've never even considered 'dumbing myself down'.......Hmmmmm! Does it really come down to that type of manipulation? I hope not.
One thing I'm grateful for this week is finally getting my house cleaned from top to bottom. I have always kept my home really clean, but it's a struggle when I have many more things I'd rather do and need to do. Never mind, it's done for now. That's the one thing about housework.........it never ends.
We had our waitress for our family breakfasts here, along with her boyfriend for dinner last night. She has become a very special person to all the family. She takes really good care of us on Tuesdays and Thursdays when we have our family breakfasts.
I have my photography ready for the show in March and received word today they received my fees for that event....keeping my fingers crossed. First, my work(s) need to be selected for the show. Secondly, I could REALLY use the prize money! Oh well, whatever is to be will be!I had the three prints above custom framed so I hope it pays off!

I'M OK!! .. NO MORE PITY PARTY!

2010-02-14T23:52:00.008-05:00

I've definitely turned the corner and right now feel really good about myself and my ability to move forward.
My pity party went on much longer than I'd normally allow myself, but it's over.
I'm tired of the drama and the personal soap opera and can honestly say, I'm ready to move on and see what wonderful things are in store for me down the road.
I must admit being a bit ashamed of myself for allowing this whole situation with my husband to almost defeat me. When I really take the time to look around and realize how difficult life is for so many in the world, my personal problems shrink in comparison. Never mind, I am human after all and won't beat myself up too badly for taking longer than usual to do a mind shift.
My happiness or the lack thereof is truly in my control. I choose to be happy. I choose to be strong. I choose to move forward.
While at church this morning, there was a great sense of peace that came over me and I knew I'd be OK.
I'm still working out with great enthusiasm, but my trainer has suggested I take one day a week off. She thinks I might be going at it a little too strong. She and I are also going to take a look at some diet changes as well.
My determination to meet my goal by January 2011 has not wavered. As an additional motivator, I'm not buying anymore clothes until then, unless it's something critical. I'm looking forward to getting a new wardrobe. It will give me an additional reason to go visit my daughter's as well. Why? Because there are such great clothing deals in the USA, if you know where to shop for them. It becomes a great challenge to see what kind of 'deals' one can get. 'Deals' make the shopping experience even more fun!
I spoke to both my daughter's in the past few days again and they make me so proud and so happy. I'm planning on going to see each of them at some point in March.
It will probably be after the Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival, where I have three photography pieces entered for the juried art show....crossing my fingers!
Yesterday, I took my friend, Marg to the local Tea Room in the morning for coffee and tea biscuit with fresh strawberry jam. It was her birthday and we are the same age. She's asked me to help her plan an arts and crafts show for the fall as a fundraiser for her church. Of course, I said yes. She is one of the truly great new friends I've made since moving here. We both enjoy each others' company very much!

Happy Valentines wishes to all the bloggers out there! No celebrations here, but a good day nonetheless.

Tomorrow........yuk...housecleaning which is long overdue!

HOPE...............can't live without it!

2010-02-10T22:07:00.006-05:00

Today's listening.......'It's My Life' ... Bon Jovi
'The Prayer' ..... Celine Dione & Andrea Bocelli
'What a Wonderful World' .. Louis Armstrong

Hope is such a short word, yet has such huge meaning!
Today was a hopeful day for me and each day forward will be even better.
I'm always more hopeful and happier when I get a chance to have in depth conversations with my daughter's. Gosh, they are so smart, so logical, so helpful, so incredible. We definitely don't always agree, however, I am so proud that I must have done something right,because they are women I would be impressed with even if I'd met them in other circumstances. I'm proud of their intelligence, their work ethic, their efforts to be the best 'Moms' they can, and their humanity.
Today was also different for me, in that I was awake at 6 AM (unheard of for me), and was at the Fitness Centre by 7:30 AM. I did the Gentle Aqua Fit and then 45 minutes of treadmill. I discovered my body doesn't like mornings AT ALL! I actually had to go have a nap this afternoon!

Tonight was SO great as I got to see my grandaughter via Skype. It's so amazing how quickly they grow and change. She is one of the happiest little munchkins. I do believe she will give her parents a bit of a challenge as she grows, but for sure, will give them many smiles, giggles, and pleasures as well. I need some more recent photos of her. I'm hoping to get down to see her and my daughter and son-in-law some time in March. I may at that point go on down and visit my oldest daughter and my 'little man'. It' so hard to believe he'll begin school this coming fall....need more time!
My son-in-law's birthday is this Friday, February 12th. It has special significance this year as my country, Canada is hosting the Olympics and Friday is opening day of the games....

ALONE..........

2010-02-08T22:38:00.002-05:00

My favourite songs for today...
'You don't know me' ... Michael Buble
'Learn to Breathe' .... LaShell Griffin
'Nowhere to run' ...... Martha Reeves

Even with people around, it's amazing how alone one can feel at times. I'm having one of those 'alone' days.
My mind is swirling with so many different thoughts and I believe some things are becoming more clear. I'm praying for some really solid answers and I know they will be forthcoming. What I need is patience and a little more faith.
I did one hour on the treadmill today and tonight's Zumba class was canceled as our instructor is sick.
I'm keeping busy anyway I know how, both artistically and just doing the mundane things required each day. Today, I made almost eight quarts of minestrone soup. I'm trying to be good about stocking up on things that I can have for lunch that are healthy.
I am going to check out some of the Weight Watchers recipes and will check out the book by Jillian Michaels to see what she advises. I started reading her book 'Mastering your Metabolism' when I was down visiting my oldest daughter and then got sidetracked. I really need to read and study her book. I have a feeling, she may hold the key to my metabolism issues.
Right now, I have days where it's really hard to stay focused, but I'm trying!

DEADLINES.............

2010-02-06T20:17:00.002-05:00

My favourite songs today.... 'I look to you - Whitney Houston'
'I didn't know my own strength - Whitney Houston
'Big girls don't cry' - Jersey Boys - Frankie Valli

Right now, I'm making sure I meet certain deadlines for submissions or applications for various juried art shows and arts and craft shows I hope to participate in this coming year.
It's kind of weird to be doing all this in February for this year's Christmas season. Didn't we just get finished with Christmas not too long ago?
I'm hoping to get in to more juried photography shows this year both for the exposure and the prize money. I always told my daughters, there's no chance at all if you don't enter and the worst that can be said is 'No' so nothing would have changed from where my position is at the moment....right? Nothing to lose and maybe lots to gain!
I'm still going to the gym every single day! One day is weight training and the alternate day is 45 minutes to one hour on the treadmill and when possible some gentle aquatic exercise. I'm actually surprised how much I'm enjoying this journey. Even though I have a long, long way to go I'm proud that I'm still going and going!
Yesterday, I purchased a balance ball, a mat, some 5 lb. weights to also do a bit at home when I'm so inclined.
I was thinking today while on the treadmill, this would be such a great thing to be doing with my daughters. I miss them and wish the distance between each of us wasn't so great. Life can turn on a dime and it's tough....for me and for them. I really envy my cousin who has all three of her married daughters in town. They do a lot together or one on one with each other....sigh!!
I made taco salad for dinner tonight and then made apple crisp for dessert since it's the weekend and I'm allowed dessert on weekends!
Church tomorrow, then lunch, then workout, then concentrate on getting 3 of my photos framed for a juried show.
I hope I can get on Skype with my little man, Mason tomorrow and my little sweet pea, Maggie tomorrow.

'DIE TRYING.................JUST MAYBE!'

2010-02-04T19:24:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, my personal trainer added five more exercises. Three involved using free weights for my upper torso. Omg! It seemed so easy to do at the time she showed me what to do and how many to do, but by last night I was SO tender. The worst was in between my shoulder blades....yikes!
I won't see her for two weeks now. She has told me to double up now on the first set of exercise machines from 12 repetitions to 24 repetitions. On the new ones, I'm to start with 12 repetitions for the next two weeks.
On alternate days I'll do 45 minutes to one hour on the treadmill at the incline of 3 and speed of 3. If I go much above that speed on these particular treadmills, I'd be running and I won't do the running thing. After that, I try to get in one half hour of gentle aquatic exercise.
This is taking a lot of time out of each day, but for the next year, this will be my life.

Yesterday, I received the most wonderful phone call from an older gentleman who had been at our local Tea Room and saw my framed photography on the walls for sale. We talked for quite some time and he wishes to purchase one of the photos but in a larger size and wondered if that would be possible. Of course, I said yes. But he made my day when he told me he so appreciates photography that touches him. He said he's seen many photographers work and then said I ranked right at the top of his list of amazing photographers. So sweet, and I really, really appreciated him taking time to talk with me. What a great mental boost!

I got up early this morning and met up with one of my cousins and we drove up to Bancroft, Ontario. She was asked to speak at a women's coffee hour and Bible study and then to do a short talk and show some recent video of the Seeds of Hope activities in Haiti. Seeds of Hope has a very large container of medical supplies, clothing, tents, blankets, etc. heading to Haiti within the week they hope. At the moment, their problem is finding a private/corporate jet preferably free to take 8 of them down to be there when the container arrives. There is 5 doctors, my cousin's husband, Tony Jones who was their 'man on the ground' when the earthquake hit. Tony, his wife and little three month old baby managed to get out and are now here in Peterborough. Now that Tony knows his wife and baby are safe he's going back asap.

There are two of my women cousins that live in Bancroft so we all went out for lunch after and had some great conversation and some much needed laughs. All of us have so much going on in our lives at the moment, so we treasure our brief times together.

At this point, I've now sent out over 15 resumes and applications for either full time or part time work..........nothing as yet. So many of these positions I'm extremely qualified to do, so you begin to get a bit paranoid about the age thing.

MONTH ONE.........RECLAIMING MY LIFE

2010-02-02T21:53:00.021-05:00

This ends Month One of my journey............ 161 lbs. as of today.
It's funny how being on a treadmill for one hour gives you great time to think, to contemplate, to plan, to regret, to have a pity party, to rethink, to make choices, to decide and to get angry.
I've asked myself how I let my life go so wrong. How do I get my life back? How do I make some good choices? Where do I start my new beginning?.... Well, for me, it's first getting back into the best shape I can at 62 years old. This will be a long road! It took a lot of neglect, a lot of years of putting myself at the bottom of the priority list and a lot of personal disappointments, some of which I had no control over...some I certainly did!!.
I've posted some pictures taken recently to record how overdue this decision is to make some changes. It's not a very pretty picture....but in one year, I hope there will be a fairly dramatic change in my physicality and my psyche as well.
I'm not proud to admit all of this and I regret that I find myself looking old, worn out and unattractive. I had always taken SO much pride in myself. I can't even tell you when this sad transformation began, but one look and it's obvious it did. I hope to control my own metamorphosis.
As hard as this process will be, the next step will be to quit smoking and that will be even tougher. Cigarettes are my emotional crutch. Since most people look down on smokers like me, it actually gave me an excuse to get some alone time.
The reason I'm pretty sure I WILL succeed is my incredible stubbornness and determination when I get annoyed.........and I AM ANNOYED!!!

ANOTHER FAVOURITE ETSY SHOP..........#12.....GLASS HAPPY STUDIO

2010-01-29T21:33:00.015-05:00

I came across this woman's beautiful works while browsing through some 'new' shops a few days ago. She is relatively new to the 'Etsy' family, so I say welcome and I wish you much success.
She uses her talent as a glass artist to both blow and sculpt with glass. Added to that, her choice of colours is stunning! One piece of her work would indeed draw your eye immediately, if placed in a strategic spot in your home.
I am SO fascinated by this art medium. I truly would love to learn how to do this or at least get a shot at it just once.
When my daughter was attending Cornell University I went to Corning glass once and saw some amazing, amazing works of art from years gone by and right up to the present. Somehow, I gravitate to glass art pieces,but I really haven't analyzed why, I just do.

Please go visit her Etsy shop at:

www.glasshappystudio.etsy.com

In her own words, here is her bio and description of her art and why she does what she does.....

BIOGRAPHY

One striking newspaper ad was all it took to get me into a studio dedicated to teaching the art of glass blowing. And one memorable class was all it took to get me hooked and continually fascinated by glass blowing.
Though I have worked with a variety of media, I have never found one as fulfilling and exhilerating as glass blowing. One of the things I find so satisfying about the art is that the opportunities for learning and experimentation are endless.
I've dedicated a fare amount of time to the subject over the past seven years for it to just be a casual hobby, now I have found a style all my own and its time to put my hard work, embodied in my art, for all the world to see.
I hope you enjoy my labor of love, because at times burns, sweat, and tears have accompanied many of these pieces (literally).
************************************************************************************
My work is hand-blown or hand-sculpted by me, here in Portland, OR. Each piece is unique and has a character all its own. My work is inspired by nature, an ever evolving exploration of form and shape, and of course individuality, a specialty that no one piece is ever alike.
It is my pleasure to share my passion for this art form with you. My hope is to display a wide arrangement of my many explorations of glass and color. I find it to be one of the greatest joys in my life, not to mention a whole lot of fun!
************************************************************************************
As a final footnote, let me encourage a visit to her shop and even better, if there's a piece you fall in love with, please purchase. I think these pieces would be wonderful corporate gifts as well.

FUN!....BE A GODDESS EVENT!

2010-01-28T21:58:00.008-05:00

Well, last night was the Peterborough 'Be a Goddess Night' for women only,held in the big Square downtown.
It was my first time to one of these events, but it's apparently been going on for around 7 years.
It's fun mixed in with a mini trade show of businesses owned and operated by women.
For example, many cosmetic companies featured, a chocolate business, a floral business, a couple of salons, a couple of spas, three different exclusive clothing stores, etc. etc. Each handed out information, some give-a-aways, some draws for product,a natural food company, and all run by women. It was quite impressive actually how many establishments are owned by women and there were many that donated or advertised that did not have tables set up.
Throughout the evening one of the local radio stations played wonderful upbeat music. There were blackjack tables, poker tables, roulette wheel etc. where you could play with paper money and get points to purchase something small.
There were Elvis impersonators mingling with the women and they were a lot of fun.
About six of the local restaurants made and provided wonderful hors'deurves which were served throughout the venues by our local police and our provincial police. The men were in their dress uniforms, wearing white gloves and very pleasant.
There were three different fashion shows at various times in the evening which featured clothing sold at the more upscale shops here in town.
There was a lot of tables with items on that were up for silent auction. I actually donated two framed photos of mine, but don't know as of this post what they ended up bringing in for the event.
There was also a photographer there(female) who was doing free photos of anyone that wanted a picture. I had done with my neighbour, Annie and then one done of myself alone. She will send out our pictures via email in .jpg form...can't wait to see it. If it's halfway decent, I'll change the one I have on facebook, etc.
My friend whom I've mentioned before,also named Marg was in the last fashion show as one of the models. Oh, if I could only afford the gorgeous pant outfit she modelled.....stunning!
At the end of the evening, Tina, who owns one of the major salons in town, and was the major organizer of this event, dressed up in really 'funky' clothes, put on a blonde wig, fishnet stockings, a gorgeous skirt, a black leather top and did a crazy dance routine to a Lady GaGa song .... hilarious!
All of the monies raised will go to the United Way of Peterborough.
All in all a really fun time. I will attend next year.

MY PERSONAL TRAINER........

2010-01-26T13:28:00.004-05:00

Well, I had my first session with my personal trainer this morning. The machine that accurately measures weight and body mass index wasn't working properly, so we'll try to get that again next week at my next session.
She has set me up with a beginners program which one day focuses on cardio and then the following day focuses on weight training. This is manageable, but difficult nonetheless. I am SO out of shape! I can't even stand on one foot anymore for 15 seconds! Pitiful!
We discussed in depth what I want to get out of this and what kind of regime I need to stick to in order to accomplish my goal.
She did tell me that people like myself, that have Grave's Disease and take thyroid medications often take longer to reach their goals. It has something to do with the weird metabolisms we have and the autoimmune problems as well. She said I'll eventually get there, but to be aware it usually takes longer for people like myself. Add to that the age I'm beginning this process and I will need way more patience than I'm prone to in order to succeed.
In a year, she said I could get close if I stick with it.
The other thing she lectured me on was my diet. The fact that I rarely eat breakfast or lunch is problematic. She explained that when you don't eat at least something in the morning and at lunch on a regular basis, your body goes into 'starvation' mode, so it tends to hold the fat for energy. I have to document every single thing I put in my mouth the whole duration of my training. This is a great challenge for me! I explained that my whole body is backwards. I like to eat much later in the day, I like to stay up much later. My body is totally out of sync with the normal body patterns. Hmmmm...should be interesting. She said it's better to eat 8 - 9 really small meals per day so your body know it's safe to burn off the fat I already have.
I was also told NEVER do two consecutive days of weight training as it's really hard on the body and could actually cause injuries.
Next week I plan to have her take a photo of me that I'll post and thereafter take one each month so I can see the progression.
And so this part of my new journey begins!!!

ZUMBA............Oh my gosh!

2010-01-25T22:33:00.006-05:00

Tonight was my fourth night of Zumba and I have to tell you I'm really bad at it! Never mind, the point is I get a full one hour workout and we(the ladies) really do have a good time and yes, a few giggles as well. It is quite tiring, though!
I meet with my personal trainer tomorrow morning to get a full physical fitness assessment and then she will design a program based on where I stand at the moment and where I want to get to by year end. Hmmmm, I have a feeling if I think the Zumba is tough, it will seem like a walk in the park by the time I get through my program.
I have made SO many bad choices that I'm now paying for, so I'm determined to make a few I can be really proud of moving forward. I am so determined to get into shape.

I'm having SO many internal struggles at the moment. I've decided the physical is critical, but, I also want so badly to focus on my photography. I'd like to make a decent living at some point, but for the immediate, I absolutely MUST find a job that will give me a regular paycheque. I'm so tired of living with financial stresses! I've had to evaluate the things I can do something about and let go of the stressors I can't do anything about. Hopefully, there's a company that can appreciate my experiences and what I have to offer.

I have to admit that never in my wildest dreams did I think I would I find myself in both the physical and emotional mess I'm in at this point in time. What I imagined I would be doing at this stage in my life is so far removed from what is my reality at this point. For much of it, I only have myself to blame. All I can do is try to correct what can be corrected. What's that saying....'If you fail to plan, then plan to fail'.

I deserve a better life, and I'm going to begin a new journey. At 62 years old, it will be interesting, a challenge and I hope surprising how I find a new me. It's actually kind of exciting and yet terrifying all at the same time.

Prayers and support of some of my friends and family keeps me going.

MOVING FORWARD.......

2010-01-23T21:35:00.006-05:00

Well, I don't seem to be accomplishing everything on my daily lists, but I am getting some things done.
Yesterday, I spoke in depth with one of the personal trainers at the Fitness Center and once we had done an overview of my medical history and what I wanted to achieve as my goal, we agreed to meet on Tuesday morning. It's been mutually decided that I will sign on for 3 one hour sessions and a full assessment with a detailed program to follow.
It was interesting, as she asked me what my overall eating habits have been up until now. I'm definitely going to be a challenge for her and she a challenge for me. I explained that I almost never eat breakfast, with the exception being the Tuesday and Thursday family breakfasts. I can eat then as I've been up at least two hours by the time we all meet. No way can I eat when I first get up! If I do, and I've tried as recently as last week, I feel nauseous all day...weird, but true.
Today was especially bad as I didn't eat anything until 6:30 PM tonight. I just wasn't hungry and if I'm not hungry, I don't eat.
When I do cook a full meal, it's always quite balanced as far as nutritional requirements. I eat a wide variety of vegetables. The exception is okra...yuk! I'm not a huge seafood lover, either. I do eat shrimp, telapia, some crab, and of course halibut when I buy fish and chips. I eat a fair amount of chicken, a little red meat, some pork and occasionally, I'll eat some lamb(slowly acquiring a taste). I love pasta dishes and a couple of times per week, I'll cook more vegetarian.
I went to visit my friend that does the art flies today, did a bit of shopping for some birthday cards, went to visit my aunt in the hospital who broke her pelvis at 92 years old, got some groceries for my girlfriend's mother and took them to her, and then went to the Fitness Centre for about 45 minutes.
I came home and made some dinner....good!
I had purchased some chicken legs and thighs that were on sale really, really cheap today so roasted them and I plan to make some soup tomorrow with them.
Tomorrow I've been invited to my cousin's son's birthday get together. He'll be SO excited as I made him his very own chocolate pecan pie. It's his absolute favourite pie!
I think I'll go to bed early tonight and read for a bit and then get some full sleep. I didn't sleep very well last night. Tonight will be better, for sure!
My husband left this morning to travel to North Carolina to spend some time with our oldest daughter and her family. He's actually going to be gone eleven days. At the tail end of his trip, he'll spend a couple of days with our youngest daughter and her family in Princeton, NJ.
With that in mind, I hope to get a couple of major tasks completed while he's gone.

CALM....YES I AM!

2010-01-21T21:19:00.002-05:00

It's so nice when some calm finally comes to one after days and days of busy tasks, and lots of stress.
I finally decided to pray about it and turn most of my 'issues' over to God to resolve for me. So, I've become more calm and I wait for some answers.
For the past three weeks I have a new favourite, favourite CD and I play it and play it and play it! It's Whitney Houston's new CD and there are two songs in particular that I SO identify with and make me feel good. The first song is 'I look to You' and the second is 'I didn't know my own strength'. LOVE these and I'm sure I'll wear my CD out playing it over and over while I'm driving.
I need to get myself an MP3 player and download the songs on to it so I can also listen over and over while I'm on the treadmill.
I talked to the Health and Fitness Club today and have decided to hire a personal trainer for one hour consultation. I can't afford to have one indefinitely, but, if I can get an assessment and then get the trainer to write me my own program to accomplish my goal for year end, I can then 'get on with it'!!!
I'm tired tonight as I did a two hour stint at the Club today after I'd run a few errands. I'm now at an incline of 3 and a speed of 3 on the treadmill.
Tomorrow I'll go again for about 45 minutes but will just do treadmill.
I am actually enjoying it so far even though I do get tired. I'm also meeting a few new people which is a bonus as well.
I'm sending out resumes to jobs posted on 'Service Canada' that I might qualify for and hope to get an opportunity be it full time or part time. I'm optimistic that something will break for me soon...again, something else I pray about.

HECTIC TIME...........BUT GRATEFUL!

2010-01-19T15:38:00.002-05:00

This past few days has been hectic for many of us in the family. Each of us is dealing with different crises, and yet, we must be mindful of the devastation and true difficulties the people of Haiti are going through.
My cousins registered charity has been working diligently to collect donations to help out. They were at both our towns larger malls over the weekend and were so pleased with the generosity of the people of Peterborough and surrounding areas.
The government has pledged to match any and all donations from registered charities to help.
My cousin's son was in a car accident on the weekend, but he is now home and doing well. Just after the news of her son, her Mother(my aunt) fell and broke her pelvis. She is 92 years old. These are the same two people that run the Seeds of Hope charity. A lot on their plate and we(the family) are trying to help out where we can.
The good news today is that Tony, the man on the ground in Haiti, was evacuated out last night along with his Haitian wife and their baby. He has SO many sad stories to tell. The local news channel is holding a press conference with him this afternoon to let people know how bad it is and to inform them of where they plan to use the donations that have already been received. Tony says that once he has his wife and baby settled here, he plans to return to Haiti as soon as possible to help where he can. God bless the special people trying so hard to make things a bit better.
As is life, we are all going through various trials and tribulations, but we really need to get some perspective and be grateful!
When I went to family breakfast this morning, my father came after a few weeks of not coming(we are somewhat estranged) and he had brought my brother(again estranged) who has had so many opportunities and yet at almost fifty years old has nothing, is doing nothing and looks very, very poorly. He's lost over fifty pounds since I last saw him. What a sad, yet avoidable situation! I really struggle with having compassion or sympathy for him as he's had SO many chances. Yet, I can't wish him any ill and really hope before his life comes to an end, he finds some inner peace with the many demons he seems to fight.

ARTBOXES............FAVOURITE ETSY SHOP # 11

2010-01-16T21:32:00.006-05:00

This Etsy shop is SO great! For the parents and grandparents out there that are looking for a birthday gift or just a special gift for a child, these are such a great idea! What a neat travel companion for the children in your lives!

This is a family craft that is now carried on by the next generation.

In her own words I've copied her story:

The story behind this hand-crafted wooden Art Box is Irma's beloved late grandfather who made her first ever Art Box as her 12th birthday gift. In remembrance of him, Irma decided to bring back her favorite childhood treasure! With the help of her 'art-chitect" husband Jeff, they perfected the Art Box design.

"The best kind of entertainment in life is your own creativity!" ~ artist's Grandpa Tan

=========================================================
ATTENTION:
ART BOX is recommended for crafters, college students, creative peeps, school-age children (not toddlers).

Our new Art Box makes creativity on-the-go easy, functional and fun! Kids can easily doodle, play games, draw, write and create right on their Art Box. Because it’s portable, kids can use their Art Box for creative fun while riding in the car, or anytime busy hands need something to do-like in a restaurant or waiting at the Doctor’s office.

For adults, our Art Box creates a perfect organization solution for use as a reminder board, to jot messages, lists and more. Inside, store pens, personal belongings, keys, or use for craft or scrap booking supplies.

As seen in ETSY GIFT GUIDE "STORAGE SOLUTION" -- ART BOX is your best choice for starting a smart living & an organized working space; giving a fresh look to your studio, dorm or home office as well as unique scholastic inspiration for gift giving or a present for yourself to keep...

Our wooden Art Box design has a magnetic white dry-erase board on one side and a chalkboard on the other, which slides open to reveal easy storage inside for art supplies or personal items. Personalize it with your name or vibrant colors wood artwork design to make it your own. WRITING KITS INCLUDED

Please go visit her Etsy shop ...

www.gdfunktional.etsy.com

I know we just got over Christmas, but this would make a great Christmas gift!

HAITI EARTHQUAKE TODAY...SEEDS OF HOPE NEEDS HELP!

2010-01-12T22:31:00.003-05:00

Well, I just heard from my cousins tonight that Haiti suffered a brutal 7.0 earthquake today and there is mass devastation everywhere.
My cousins husband was due to leave tomorrow to go in and prep for a complete medical team that was going to leave this Saturday to provide various types of medical and surgical care to the people of Haiti in the Goave mountain area.
There will now be even more need for donations, supplies both personal and medical. Last week, a large group of family and friends spent the day packing a variety of supplies to ship down.
This is such a sad and difficult situation! For those of us that are so blessed, please consider helping these little children, especially.

To find out about this non-profit charity that originates here in my hometown, please go to

www.hopegrows.ca

As of right now, most of the phone lines are down, so it's very difficult to get updated on the status of the island and the people.

Seeds of Hope focuses on the mountain areas where the poverty is absolutely overwhelming!

L-O-N-G W-A-Y TO GO!

2010-01-12T15:45:00.005-05:00

Well, I've now done three or four more sessions at the Fitness Centre since I last posted here.
I know that I quite enjoy the treadmill. I am SO not ready to spend much time on the eliptical trainer(it could kill me!) I really enjoy the Zumba classes( 2nd one last night) although, I feel like I have two left feet at the moment. The trainer assures me I'll get it eventually. I wish I had the dancing talents of my two daughters at the moment.
Today, I did my first 'Gentle Aqua Fit' class and I must say I really, really enjoyed it! It is resistance training in very warm salt water. There is a number of these half hour sessions every day. I think I'll try to get to as many as possible. Once I'm comfortable with these, I'll move up to the 'Aqua Fit Yoga' classes.
I've discovered that my balance absolutely sucks. I used to be so good with balance, but definitely not so anymore! Wow, a lot of work ahead in that area!
What I do know, is I'm not giving up and I know for a fact that I have a long way to go. That's OK, as I'm determined to meet my goal by year end to be a size 10 and relatively in decent shape.
Somewhere, sometime this year, I also need to work on quitting smoking. That will be even tougher!
There are SO many things in my life that I have NO control over at the moment, so I've decided to work on things I do have some control over.
This year is for me!
I keep praying and I have faith that God will provide some much needed answers for my life!

THEATRE CLEANING......DISGUSTING JOB!

2010-01-07T14:27:00.004-05:00

Well, I had my first night of cleaning theatres. My cousin and I cleaned four theatres and were finished around 3am.
It is back breaking work as you have this little broom and have to get in under every individual seat and sweep out the garbage, which could be popcorn people have dropped or some who just throw the bag on the floor whether it's full or not, empty yogurt containers, nacho and cheese trays, Skittles, Bridge mixture, napkins, gum just thrown on the floor or stuck to various areas of the seats.
I was incredulous at how disgustingly filthy and inconsiderate people are at these places. In all the years I've attended theatres myself, I've never left garbage on or under the seats! For goodness sakes people, there is a garbage pail right as you exit the theatre! Now that's the height of laziness and inconsideration! There are many, many cup containers still full of soft drink. Many, many bags of full popcorn!
Some people obviously have more money than brains. At the price of theatre refreshments, why would you purchase and then never eat or drink your items? Just amazing how sad the human condition and mentality is for a segment of the population! I would really hate to see how some of these people's homes look like! YUK!
My cousin and I worked non-stop and it took us three and one half hours to do the four theatres.
I must admit, you earn every penny of the $10.00/hour wage. It's a different work mentality than I'm used to for sure. The young kids they spend the time training quite often never come back, but also never bother to tell management they won't do it...they just don't show up.
You do that type of work and you realize quite quickly, that you're getting older and yet most of the crews are older and more reliable.
I will keep going until I find something else, but it is a very tiring job. My back certainly felt it and my feet.
I don't go in to work again until Sunday night and I'm bringing my camera to take some pictures......unbelievable!!!
In this life, you do what you have to do, right? I have to get some debt paid down and I WANT to purchase a high quality digital SLR camera....SO....I'm doing what I have to do!