Sunday, October 25, 2009

wordle anyone?

This morning my sister sent me this link from Wordle.  She's also the one responsible for introducing me to photopeach. A couple of really inspirational tools. There are just so many amazing (and free) sites out there!
http://www.wordle.net/

Wordle: friends & family

Saturday, October 24, 2009

photopeach ~ fall is glorious

After Gladys left yesterday, my sister dropped in. I was showing her all the photos we had taken on our walk today. She suggested I try out photopeach, a free online program that puts photos and music together in a couple of simple quick steps. Great find sis!

Here is the result.

Oh, and you can easily email your show to friends and family! Here it comes guys.
fall is glorious on PhotoPeach


friends and family ~ rock solid


So, this is what happens when Gladys comes over and we play!!! The objective of the day was to explore flickr and picnic but somehow we got shanghaied into Picasa. Gladys wanted to know how to collage a series of her pictures and before you know it.... tada! We were away.

This particular collage is not one I will attempt again anytime soon as it took lots of memory (and time) to percolate. But what a fun tool we have found.

The other great thing that happened today (besides having my sister and nieces sing Happy Birthday on my answering machine) was spending time with Gladys made me appreciate how very lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family (she is actually both!) I totally crawled out of the maudlin little pit I dug for myself last night. I know from experience that time really does heal all wounds; you just have to give yourself the opportunity to feel the grief in order to overcome it.  I think I get that now.

Japanese grass


Japanese grass
Originally uploaded by Kroymae
I think the fall color is the best showing on this grass... no maybe in the spring when it comes out all fresh and new, beautifully lime green. It even looks spectacular in the heat of summer. And in winter, the way the snow mounds over it, yet it still manages to peak through.

sea of leaves

So, this is what I should be doing today. Everyone knows it so much easier to remove leaves when they are dry, and as this is the first non rainy day off I have had in quite a while.... I should be raking leaves. But am I? Well, no. What am I doing? There’s a little laundry (going around in the background), some floor cleaning, nothing deep mind you, just a swiffer here and there. Oh, yes, and some glass cleaning, the stove top, the microwave door.. you know.. The places that the finger prints just love to pile up.

I’m also waiting for Gladys, so I have to sort through my tea stash and see what we will have today...
We had arranged to spend the day together (no small feat!), to play in our on line picture adventures; see what kind of mischief we can get up to there. I wanted to show her a flickr photo stream (like I’m an expert, pshaw!) and how much fun it is to manipulate your photos.

Oh! There goes the washer signal (don’t you just love that feature)

I took these pictures last night, right after work. I was somewhat disheartened by the masses of leaves at first, until I realized what a great photo opportunity they were. That led to the other pictures following... I can’t seem to just take a couple. Is this a disease?

Again, here I go with the over exposed photo.  I loved how this leaf was just laying there, placement perfect, on a bed of grass.

 
This is one of my favorite ornamental grasses.  Spring, summer, fall and winter, it always looks so interesting.  I know its a Japanese grass, but cannot remember it's name.  I will ask Gladys, she might know.
 

Sweeties favorite Japanese Maple is completely bald already, except for this one little leaf.  I call that hanging on for dear life!

I think what I will do is go rent a leaf blower..... Yes! that's it.  Maybe later..

Friday, October 23, 2009

birthday blues

Today is my birthday and the only thing I want is the one thing I can't have. I want more time with my friend Cheryl. She’s been gone for 10 months now and I still can’t imagine a life without her. I guess I will have to try. The fact that she wasn’t here to help me celebrate this birthday really brought it home. Until I met her a birthday was just, well.... a birthday. Sure, it was acknowledged, celebrated even, but it was not CELEBRATED in the Cheryl way. To her it was a B I  R T H D A Y!!!  Plans were made weeks in advance as to where “the Birthday Celebration” would occur. We had so many birthday dinners together we were always on the lookout for a New Place. There was always a homemade cake ~ sorry Sid, I know this was the one cake she wouldn’t let you “test”. As I look around my home there are so many memories reflected in the birthday presents she gave... the garden angel she just knew I would love, the pieces of pottery from her hometown of Nelson, the gorgeous glass tray she carried home in her suitcase from Romania (yes, glass in her suitcase). Last year she brought me a beautiful hand carved wooden trinket box from Italy (I heard later that she agonized over which one was just perfect). The angel, the pottery, the trinket box and so many other wonderful gifts, while very much loved, I would trade in an instant for a few more minutes with her; to laugh over the inane happenings on Greys Anatomy, to be furious over the “movie” ending in Her Sisters Keeper, to gossip about other friends ...for her to finish my sentences for me. ....
I miss you Cherylina....