Needed a bright boost
looked closely at upper left
found a wee bonus.
sunflowers
Thankful Thursday: Goldfinch edition
This morning I woke to about 10 inches of snow on the rail. The finches, especially the goldfinches, were very busy in the sunflowers. I brought my camera to the basement and sat next to Marcel at the sliding glass door where he was intently monitoring the birds’ movements. I snapped a total of 124 photos of those active little birds, confident I was getting many good shots. Wrong. Between their near-constant movement, the swaying of the sunflower stalks, and Marcel rubbing himself against me, I ended up with a whole lot of soft images. But I couldn’t delete them all and am including a sample here to document the lovely start to my day.
Friday Haiku
The tree stump saddens
vibrant sunflowers gladden
nature’s ebb and flow.
I, too, will go on
In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil,
which I have forsaken in my great discouragement,
and I will go on with my drawing. ~ Vincent Van Gogh
A pep talk from my advocate + these sunny flowers = renewed resolve.
Making happy while the sun hides
It’s Monday and the view out my window is gray and overcast. I’m in need of sunshine, but don’t have the power to make that happen. So I’ll settle for the next best thing: a bright and cheery sunflower.
You’re welcome. And Happy Monday!
Friday Haiku
sunflower shadows
blooming no more, still lovely
patio painting
An unruly bouquet from me to you
It’s a whole new week and there’s much to be done. I’m gonna try to smile along the way and I hope you do, too.
Let’s do this.
Sunday Confessional: yellow is best left to the flowers
I am a pale white woman who never, ever wears yellow because that color washes me out and makes me look dead. Sunflowers, on the other hand, wear their yellow quite nicely.
Motto: No yellow in my closet, but plenty in my garden.
For Savannah
In a few minutes, I’m heading to a memorial. I’ve spent the past half-hour trying to find the words to express what I’m feeling and all I’ve managed is this:
Savannah, you are loved.
Friday Haiku
Gray and cloudy day
gotta make my own sunshine.
Winter’s gotten old.
Wordless Wednesday: Michelle edition
Wordless Wednesday: Wishful Thinking edition
Birthday Cousins
Born on the same day, five years apart.
♫ May you smile into the camera
And squint against the sun
May you stay forever fun
Forever fun, forever fun ♫
May you stay forever fun.
Happy happy birthday to two of my favorite people on the planet!
Finding my focus
That title is a little play on words.
Why? Because the closer, larger sunflowers should be the focus of the photo.
But instead of being the sharpest images, they’re the most blurred.
Anyone looking at this photo must search for my focus,
which is something I find myself doing more and more.
So, welcome to the club.
Solar Eclipse or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Shadows
Zippy got up at 2:45 this morning to drive north to Torrington, Wyoming, so he could experience the total solar eclipse. If I could’ve been teleported back home, rather than sitting in gridlocked traffic after witnessing the eclipse, I would’ve gone with him.
I chose to stay home. When I spoke with Zippy after he arrived in the little town of Torrington, I felt pangs of regret for missing out on what he was experiencing. Why didn’t I go with him? Why didn’t I have those special glasses?
But it was too late. Peak eclipse around here was at 11:47, so I busied myself building a pinhole projector. Then while I waited, I played around with a colander.
As the peak moment approached, I watched in my pinhole projector.
NASA-approved viewing apparatus
I was momentarily confused when the sun spot appeared to be getting larger rather than smaller. Was it possible I wasn’t clear on the whole eclipse concept??? Then I realized that my progressive eyeglass lenses were distorting the image and if I held the projector farther from my eye, I could see the diminishing sun. So then I tried photographing that projector image.
As you can see, I was nowhere near aiming my camera phone at the correct angle. The lighting was really throwing me off and I couldn’t see what I was doing. But don’t get me wrong, I loved the eclipse lighting! Rather than being the usual mid-day harsh lighting, it was subdued and trippy. I had so much fun looking at my plants in the yard. It was like being on a psychedelic trip.
My absolute favorite things to look at were the crescent-shaped shadows from the maple tree. 
My brother called me about 20 minutes before peak eclipse to verify I had special glasses. When I told him Zippy had taken our only pair, my brother urged me to jump in the car and drive to his house. I opted to stay put, and I’m so glad I did. While I couldn’t look directly at the sun to see what millions of people saw today, I thoroughly enjoyed my backyard eclipse experience. The sky was off-limits to me, so I focused on all the cool details down below.
Sunflowers and Hailstones
These cheery flowers typically raise their faces to the sky, seeking out the sun’s warm embrace.
Here, they hang their heads and avert their gazes from the hail raining down on them.
Fortunately, the storm has already passed through and they’ll live to smile another day.
Welcome to the banquet
The sun, the earth,
love, friends,
our very breath are parts of the banquet.
~ Rebecca Harding Davis
No blue without yellow
There is no blue without yellow and without orange.
~ Vincent Van Gogh
Injecting a splash of color and Goldfinch-y goodness into this late-December morning. We’ve got sunshine today, but are sadly lacking in vibrant color.
And oddly enough, Mr. Van Gogh, the yellow’s making me feel less blue.
.
The sunflower is mine, in a way
” . . . the sunflower is mine, in a way.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh
Sunday, sunflowers, sunshine.
Verily.
Tracy Abell 