Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

enhanced with Kim Klassen texture and brush :)

warm winter wishes...

winter came early this year...

if it stays this pretty, i am looking forward to it.

if it gets any colder (it was below zero already), 

i want it to end soon.

meantime, i will appreciate the beauty :)

 

randomness

stalking the stalker :)

 

we had an ice storm in CT and it brought the birds to my deck

which is my favorite part of winter :)

 

 

 

and i was able to drive through my favorite wildlife refuge in western MA...

found a great blue heron weathering the icy rain before heading south to warmer climates.

he posed nicely before taking off...

 

back to the deck wildlife ...

 

 

 

 and ending with some holiday-ness ...

 

 

that's pony-boy, enjoying the fire :)

 

it's december :)

finally, the big slow-down I was searching for... :)

I am not sure where the rest of 2013 will lead us but, for now,

I am feeling like both joey and I live in the same house and that we both are retired. 

and that is not only enough, it is everything. 

more smiles :)

 

yesterday, I read on facebook that snowy owls are unexpectedly migrating to the cape.

I dropped everything, got in the car and rode around searching.

I didn't find a single owl but I did find happiness. 

it is December and I am able to 'drop everything' and take a ride.

for a girl who has spent a long life in retail, this is big  :)

 

joey is cooking at the cape cod house.

in the kitchen, not on the grill.

it finally feels like home.

the first thing we bought when we got the house were the new appliances.

that was in the summer of 2011. 

it's been a bit of a wait for him to turn on the stove, but he's getting back in the groove

for a girl who hates to cook, this too is big :)

 

I got to decorate the cape cod house.

not only for Halloween (a first ever, since we have no kids)

and tweaking autumn touches for Thanksgiving,

and now for Christmas.

for a girl who lives for HGTV and stalks pinterest,

getting to decorate is more than fun.  it is big fun :)

 

so again, I have no idea where the rest of 2013 will go,

but so far, December has been good stuff.

 

on that note, I am heading out to look for snowy owls

wish me luck :)


adding a few random pics to go with the random thoughts...

 

Frugal Still Life Photographer...

I am excited to participate in an upcoming online course for still life photography - you can join too, if you're interested, by going HERE to Cheryl McCain Photography. 

it looks fascinating :)

frosty start

november is a frosty month...

(image above enhanced with Kim Klassen's 'touch of 1' texture,

along with Pixel Dust's golden bokeh and FABrique textures)

 

 

 

until the sun comes out and melts the frost...

 

sharing with "Texture Tuesday"



a november slow-down...

November has always been a crazy busy month.

lots of family birthdays, thanksgiving get-togethers, and 80 hr work weeks at peak season...

it was intense and made a man out of me :)

 

this year was different.

i wished for 'different' in a big way...

and i got it.

 



it was a lay-low kind of time.

as the world transitioned from the end of autumn

to the beginning of winter,

i transitioned too...

 

i took rides,

cooked stuff to eat (barely edible but hey...)

nested, read, sat, walked. 

i retired.

 

then it snowed.

i was going to eat soup (from a can) and light a fire.

but instead, i ran to the beach because i could.

and it was softly beautiful.

 

the snow revealed the shapes and concealed the shit :)

i need more snow in my life

 

 

 

and so it went...

i am wandering through the month of my slow-down

with an openness to whatever may come.

some moments are harder than others to let go of the controls

but i hope to move forward loosely...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

so here's to November

and here's to transitions...

 

a time to grow and expand

to embrace and release

go forward and retreat

to wander and ponder

 and always, god willing

to dance in the moonlight

 

 

images were enhanced using elements and snapseed,

pioneer woman's actions,

and textures from kim klassen, french kiss and jessica drossin...



looking back...

for years, i volunteered at a cat shelter in Connecticut. 

i spent hours at the place each week, feeding the cats,

cleaning floors, scooping litter, cuddling with homeless cats...

 

the amount of work that goes into running a shelter is endless,

the constant need is mind-numbing, and there is never enough money. 

however, the volunteers get the job done - here in Connecticut and all across the country. 

if ever an animal rescue organization needs help, i do whatever i can to provide whatever i can -

the need is huge.

 

i worked for 8 yrs at this shelter and it was extremely rewarding. 

i now have eleven inside cats, all rescues

and three cats that we feed on our decks whenever they show up...

 

in an effort to shine more light on a never-ending need,

i put together a calendar of some of the images i had shot at the shelter. 

this is for sale on my etsy shop (see link in right sidebar or click HERE)

and all proceeds will be donated to the cat shelter in hopes of saving many more homeless cats.

 

here are some images of the cats i knew at the shelter.

some had a home and lost it.

some never had a home.

some are feral and the shelter will be only home they ever know,

and they are the lucky ones. they will be warm and fed and cared for...

 

please help all homeless animals whenever you can.

thank you.