This is the first photo that comes to mind when I think of laughter. It is of me and my sister circa 1983.
I don’t know what struck us so funny, but I love that someone caught us in the moment.
Ailsa’s Travel Theme at Where’s My Backpack
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Weather
One Word Photo Challenge: Marsala
The Daily Prompt: Oasis
Oasis A sanctuary is a place you can escape to, to catch your breath and remember who you are. Write about the place you go to when everything is a bit too much.
When I need to clear my head I walk. No matter if it is hot or cold, I put on my sneakers and get out of the house. I look at the sky, the trees, the houses, I walk the streets in my neighborhood, up and down the hills. I think to myself, maybe I even talk quietly out loud to help whatever is bothering me come more clearly into view. I call it “airing myself out.” Maybe I’ll walk for ten minutes, maybe an hour. My oasis is taking in what is around me, getting me out of my usual environment.
Down the hill…
Over the foot bridge over the railroad tracks
Early morning train passes under the bridge
Through the park
Onto the streets
Michelle’s Weekly Pet Challenge
I broke my elbow two years ago. It was a long recovery, two surgeries and endless physical therapy. Finally after nine months I was ready to move on but wondering what to do with myself. I had been volunteering for eight years, visiting patients in the hospital, and doing other volunteer work. I did not want to return to the hospital at that point in my life, I needed a positive atmosphere, to be in a healthy environment, as I was tired of being surrounded by pain and darkness for all those months. Our dog Max had died soon after I broke my elbow, which just added to the misery surrounding me. I missed him terribly, it was the first time in 19 years we didn’t have dog, and as much as I missed him I also was relishing my new found freedom. I decided to start a dog walking business. It would give me the opportunity to be around dogs, but still afford me the freedom that comes with not having one.
I made up business cards and a website, put up posters in local dog parks, and an ad on yelp. Then came my first call. Someone right in my neighborhood was in need of a dog walker. Twice a day. Her dog was a Cocker Spaniel, which was the same breed our dogs had been. It was love at first sight. Lucy and I became fast friends, she was the sweetest most affectionate little thing. Soon after I started walking her, Maggie, a Maltese, came to live in the same house. Now I had two great dogs to walk twice a day. It was exactly what I needed at that time in my life. It was Spring, a new beginning, I was outdoors and with dogs. I felt blessed.
Six months later Lucy and Maggie were moving, too far away for me to continue walking them. It was sad for me, but I made the decision at that time to go to work as an assistant teacher, a job with more structure and a steady paycheck. My dog walking days were an important part of my transition from a hard time in my life to a more positive one. I will always be grateful for having Lucy and Maggie in my life then.
I always sent a text with a photo to Lucy’s & Maggie’s mom when I came to walk them. Here are some for the pet challenge this week.
Daily Prompt: For Posterity
For Posterity Your blog just became a viral sensation. What’s the one post you’d like new readers to see and remember you by?
The following is a response to a previous Daily Prompt I posted months ago, which is how I would like to be remembered.
Don’t You Forget About Me
The Daily Prompt asks: At the end of your life,what sort of legacy will you leave?
Describe the lasting effect you want to have on the world, after you’re gone.
This is something I think about a lot. I don’t have children, so maybe that is part of the reason. Getting older, and losing people in my life has also made me think of the lasting impressions left by those who are gone. What I remember about them. It saddens me when I think of someone and find the memories are not good and happy ones. I would not want to be remembered that way. As someone who was unkind, selfish, unable to connect, not there when needed.
I feel we have the ability to create memories with friends, with family, every day. To make those connections. I hope to be the Aunt who is remembered as having sent care packages to camp every summer and a letter a day. Who made the best brownies in the world. Who loved to play games & laugh. The person -friend, wife, sister, who was there with a listening, non judgmental ear. Supportive and open, helpful and kind. Who always stepped up to the plate. Someone who made a difference in their lives.
I would like always to be remembered with a smile when I come to mind.
The following video has always been one of my favorites, and I think goes along with how I feel about this prompt.
Sunday Stills, the next challenge: It’s a Mistake
One day I will remember to turn off the flash when there is enough light in the room, so that Gus does not look like an alien. Keeping my feet out of the shot might be a good idea too.
Daily Prompt: Daring Do – I Do
This morning, as every morning, I read the Daily prompt to my husband. Today it asked:
Tell us about the time you rescued someone else (person or animal) from a dangerous situation. What happened? How did you prevail?
His immediate response:
You rescued me from a dangerous situation…. my previous marriage.
Lift the Edges
It is a gray and overcast day today, and it has been raining on and off so it was not a day for an adventure, other than picking up a few groceries. It put me in the mood for an omelette, comfort food in my book. I mixed the eggs together and poured them into the cast iron skillet. As the edges began to cook I lifted one side and tilted the pan so the runny center could find its way to the edge. It was then my father came to mind. He had taught me to do this so many, many years ago. Maybe I was ten. He had shown me that making it this way the omelette would cook evenly. Keep lifting those edges and let the runny center go there so it too would cook. Thinking of this brought a smile to my face, the memory of it feeling like a warm hug.
My father liked to putter in the kitchen- he did not cook real meals, but made a fabulous fried egg sandwich, excellent deviled eggs (it was the paprika on top that made the difference) and an amazing pecan pie. He enjoyed good food, and took me to many of New York’s finest restaurants while I was growing up.
I finished cooking my omelette, sat down with a cup of coffee and remembered him some more. A perfect cheer up for a dreary day.
Weekly Photo Challenge: New
Sky Watch Friday
Look Up, Look Down-Which Way
I can see you up there…… Well are you coming up?
It’s nice and comfy here in this spot of sun Well maybe I’ll come down…
Which way?
It Is What It is- I Am Who I Am
WP: What does it mean to be the same thing, in different forms? Are the past, present, and future versions of ourselves similar or different? Tell us about what’s stayed the same as you’ve changed.
The WP writing challenge seems a perfect topic this final day of the year, which also happens to be my birthday. Summing up at the close of the year, reflecting on being another year older. I have always thought of myself as a “work in progress” looking back, reviewing the things I could change about myself, how I might handle a situation differently if it arose again. How much of me is just hard wired and will never change, is it possible to change the hard wiring? Is acknowledging its existence a form of change? Knowing the root of where it came from?
I am still in many ways the child I was- emotional, high strung, sensitive. My feelings can be hurt easily, this is something that has been a constant throughout my life. I have toughened up and learned to expect less of people in order not to get hurt, but I am sensitive to being left out and overlooked. I cry easily, and I have come to realize this will never change. It can be embarrassing, but as I have grown older I care less what other people think, so be it.
I was for a long time a “people pleaser.” Never wanting to say no for fear I would be liked less. Always at the ready to do more, be it in a job or for friends. With age that changed too. After feeling like a doormat being used by the people who took advantage of my “good nature” I began to learn. I wrote about it here in response to a daily prompt. I needed to take a long look at what motivated me to always want to please. Low self esteem, wanting to be liked, needing to feel needed. I will always be a giver, this has been a constant in my life, I have just become smarter about setting limits on giving.
My ability to fly off the handle is part of my hard wiring, inherited I believe from both parents. I can go from zero to 60 in no time, and woe to the person bearing the brunt of it. My voice begins to ascend decibel levels as my frustration grows. This is something I need to consciously work on. People are not interested in being yelled at. They tune out. They put you into the escalation department on the phone. It damages relationships with friends and family. As hard as I try this is still a challenge for me. I have not given up on working on it, and know in situations where I have reigned myself in I am happier for having done so.
My past cannot help but be part of my present – the endless loop with minor revisions here and there.For the future I can only hope to continue to work on the parts of me that can be changed and make the attempt.
I don’t like to make predictions about the future, being aware and conscious of my reactions and interactions will hopefully steer me in the right direction, to help me make the changes I know I need to make. Keeping a positive attitude, gratitude, seeing the cup half full not empty, are all ways to help keep me moving forward in a positive direction. The work in progress continues……
Take a Drive
As I drove on the highway this morning, going slow enough to be able to see into the cars alongside me, I thought about how the car allows us to be within our own little world. One person appeared to be singing, another was talking on her cell phone. A man was shaving, this is not the first time I have witnessed this, and who am I to judge as I have been known to apply lipstick while driving, and I floss my teeth when stopped at red lights.Our cars provide a private space, in public, but still private. We can sing at the top of our lungs, we can cry, all while ensconced in our own little world on four wheels.
It reminded me of when I first learned to drive, and on Sundays my mother would let me borrow her car. A 1970 Chevy Impala with a bench seat.
Being able to drive brought a new freedom. My best friend and I would drive up the highway about twenty minutes from where we lived, to visit beautiful farmland. It had always been so close, yet so far before I could drive. There was a farm stand where we could get a hot cocoa in the winter, lemonade in the summer. On the way home we would take the local streets, winding our way past beautiful homes, not really knowing where we were, just moving in the right direction, heading South, knowing sooner or later we would find our way. We always did. We kept a map in the glove compartment just in case, but never used it. It was on these drives we would talk endlessly, safe within the walls and windows of the car, with no interruptions from our parents or siblings, no homework to think about, talking and taking in the wonderful scenery. Arriving home we felt as if we had been away on vacation. Driving opened up a new world for us, before the days that we needed to drive to get to work, to get to the supermarket, to run the endless errands.
Sometimes it is good to take that drive to nowhere, allowing us the time to think, to be alone with our thoughts, no interruptions, no place to go except wherever you decide to make your next turn.
Weekly Photo Challenge-Warmth
Taking in the Warmth of the Sun
Sitting In Front of The Fire
Bundled Up From the Cold
Weekly Photo Challenge
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Cities and City Structures
New York State of Mind
Buildings, Buildings and more Buildings
Lincoln Center
Old Meets New
Gracie Mansion home of the Mayor
Making A Living
Coffee in Times Square
Michelle’s Weekly Pet Challenge
I have once again chosen Gus, my sister’s Dachsund to take part in Michelle’s Weekly Pet Challenge.
Happy Holidays All…
Travel Theme: Golden
These plaques were made by Rene Paul Chambellan and installed in 1932 along a granite wall at the entrance to Radio City Music Hall located in New York City. They represent classic vaudeville acts.
Five musicians and a Russian dancer
Accordion and saxaphone player with a cat
Five Rockettes in high heels and top hats
Sunday Stills, the next Challenge: Animals with Horns
OK, so maybe they aren’t horns, but I couldn’t resist this photo of Gus, my sister’s dog.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Landscapes or Seascapes
I grew up vacationing with my Grandparents every summer at their home in Southampton, New York. My grandfather had purchased a house there in the 1950’s, long before it became the mecca it is today for the rich and famous. The house my grandfather owned was situated on a beautiful plot of land with water surrounding it. We grew up collecting shells off the beach, catching scallops and putting them in water to see them open and show us their many blue eyes. We swam in the pool or spent the day at the ocean. The house was sold after my grandfather died and the new owners tore it down. An enormous house went up on the property, the original pool was filled in and a new one built a few feet over. Last year I was in the area and stopped by the new house. The owners were very welcoming and gave me a tour and allowed me to walk around the property and take pictures. The new house bore no resemblance to my Grandfather’s home, it was only when walking up the lawn that overlooks the bay that I felt any sense of nostalgia. I was happy to see the tree my Grandfather had planted when I was born was still standing, having outgrown me in the 56 years it has stood there.
I do not follow the Kardashians at all, I have heard of them because it seems impossible not to. This summer the Kardashians rented a home in Southampton, which turned out to be the house that now sits on what was my grandfather’s property. As loathe as I was to watch the episode that took place there, I did. So did my siblings and all of my cousins.
It was surreal watching them sit and have lunch aside the very tree we had played under. Barbecuing overlooking the water exactly where we had. It seemed so odd to see them on the property that was so familiar to me, that somehow I still considered “my place.” No matter that it has been close to 20 years since our family actually vacationed there, it somehow will be forever ours.
I took both photos from the same vantage point from the road -the one on the left in in the 1970’s, the one on the right 2013
The beach in 1976-now all overgrown with weeds
My Grandfather’s ducks and swans circa 1976
2013 the same view I grew up seeing
Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge
This week for the Which Way Challenge I am going with the use of signs.
I especially like the last one.
A Photo a Week Challenge: Up Close and Personal
This is Max- up close up and personal. I did not crop this photo, I actually took it from close range. He lived to 17 years of age, and died two years ago today. We still miss him.
Nancy Merrill-A Photo A Week
Travel theme: Freedom
Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack asks, What does freedom mean to you and what makes you feel truly free?
Going to the beach offers me the chance to feel “free.” Seeing the expansive sky above the water, freeing myself of shoes and digging my feet into the sand, walking endlessly along the water’s edge, smelling the salt in the breeze, watching the seagulls. It allows me to forget everything else and become aware of all my senses. The feel of the warmth of the sunshine, no matter the season.
Sunday in the Libraries
My husband and I love to take outings on Sundays. In the Spring, Summer and Fall we find crafts fairs and festivals to attend, take hikes in local parks, or visit historic sites in the area. Winter presents more of a challenge as there is less going on. Fortunately our local libraries offer concerts on Sundays, and they are all free of charge. I will admit I am usually the youngest face in the attending crowd, most people look to be longtime members of AARP. Sometimes they serve cake and coffee, sometimes there is a discussion following the performance.
Last week we attended a performance titled “A Touch of Inspiration” Three Cello Ensemble, which featured a beautiful blend of classical, Brazilian and original pieces by the performers. One of the Cellists used a method of picking the strings usually used for guitar, which was interesting to see and hear. The week before was a performance including a violinist, cellist, and piano for four hands.
Not every performance is a winner, as was the case one Sunday last month. A pianist performed works by Aaron Copland and Ned Rorem. They were all extremely discordant, and went on endlessly for an hour with no break. Someone in the audience at one point said right out loud, “This is VERY long.” I felt bad for the performer, but it was true. We always like to sit right up front where we are able to see the hands of the pianist. The drawback with this is not being able to escape if we want to, as in this case.
This past Sunday we attended a piano concert. The artist played pieces familiar to most if not all by Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Here is a very short sampling of one piece, Polonaise by Chopin. We did not get there early enough to get our usual front row seat, but were able to position ourselves so we could see the performers hands through the rows.
Twinkle
The WP Weekly Photo Challenge is Twinkle– and asks us to share photos of twinkling light. I am going to show twinkle in a different “light”- as my husband starting taking violin lessons three weeks ago, and has been practicing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
A Day In The Life 
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