random moments

A few random moments from my neck of the woods
- and these simple, everyday moments
are the moments I am most thankful for

When your cat doesn’t want to be in a selfie, but he needs to be squeezed anyway

When your daughter discovers that she isn’t the only one taking photos

When you wake up in a cold house with no power and discover 
the coffee brewed before losing the electricity

When you’re riding a slow chairlift alone and it feels like a good time for a goofy selfie

When you realize your loved ones have come back home.

I'm joining:
Michelle for Thankful Thursday &
 Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday Five

Thanks for dropping in!

my little town - part 2

Main Street - Rowley, Massachusetts

This weathered picket fence belongs to one of the many historic homes in my little town.

It looked sort of "Halloween" to me - maybe it would look cool decorated

- or not -

I kind of like it the way it the way it is

Willy Nilly 5 - blogging and commuting - a match made in ...??

- My typical day includes 3+ hours of commuting to and from work

(I know - sympathy is much appreciated)

-  But - it's not completely terrible - on the train, I mostly read

- both books and blogs

- And many thanks to the iPhone blogging apps that keep me in the blogging game

- Except when the train moves from great service to no service to mediocre service -
and my phone gets confused and starts doing that annoying spinning thing -
 usually right after typing a long-winded (but heart-felt)
 comment on your blog post - only to lose it (grrrr)
yeah - if you ever get a comment from me like "nice!"
blame it on my poor connection... the original comment was much better

- and then, those times when everything I type is complete gibberish
- or the word "shot" is misspelled
yeah - auto-correct fail
I don't mean to swear on your blog - I promise!

How about you? Do you use mobile blog reading apps? Any tips or tricks?

I'm joining TexWis for Good Fences
and Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday 5

Have a great weekend!

j'adore quebec!

oui oui!!

and that's about all the french I know - except for maybe bon jour

- which the shopkeepers had a very melodious way of saying

- and I was never quite successful at imitating

(le sigh...)

without further ado - here are a few things I loved about Quebec

1) the Chateau Frontenac

which reminds me of a castle - but it's not

It's fun to look at anyway - and is beautiful lit up at night

and looms over the city

2) window shopping

3) outdoor cafes

even when it's only 50 degrees outside

(french onion soup, please)

4) art where you least expect it

-on the side of a building

- in alleys

and last but not least

5) ornate fences with bright autumn foliage

actually - I could go on and on

(coffee shops, creperies, waterfall, river views...)

On another note - as we roamed about the city taking photos,

it seemed I always had the wrong lens in my camera.

- kit lens lacks enough zoom

- zoom lens is often too zoomy

and the nifty fifty - while very, very nifty - is somewhat limiting when walking around

I'd kind of like to buy a good walk-around lens

I'd love to know what your favorite lens is (walk-around or otherwise)!

I'm joining Theresa for Good Fences

and

Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday 5

Have a great weekend!

random five - misty mountain and sunshine

I do believe - the colors have been spectacular this year

even shrouded in mist.

A couple of weeks ago, I was nominated for a Sunshine Award by a phenomenal blogger - 

Sarah at Paisley Rain Boots.

I love visiting Sarah's blog, where she and her paisley rain boots

(well, when weather calls for them)

explore the hidden and not-so-hidden back roads of Michigan.

She has an artistic flair for seeing places and objects from a different angle and capturing them with her camera. If you've never visited before - click on over!

So - for this week's random five, I've chosen five of Sarah's questions to answer.

1) Favorite Movie? - When Harry Met Sally (corny, I know...)

2) Coffee or Tea? - Both! Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon

3) Favorite Weekend Activity? - going AWAY, of course :-)

4) What decade would you have most liked to have lived in? - the next five or ten (life is much too short!)

5) Thing that you are most proud of accomplishing this year? - oh boy, I'm coming up blank and it's October already. May I have an extension, please?

That's it for me this week. I'd love to hear from you - feel free to play along.

And as always - have a great weekend!

I'm joining Nancy for Random Five Friday

random five - feeling crafty

I'm not sure what it is - but lately I've been feeling crafty - 

in a diy-make-cute-things sort of way that is, nothing evil lurking here...

But first,

this was my favorite find at the fair a couple of weekends ago.

Greg and I like just about anything black lab - and this one was impossible to pass up.

Truly

On a whole different plane of craftiness,

I found these felted wool dryer balls on Pinterest and for whatever reason

just needed to make them. They're great - everything you could hope for and more.

 (from dryer balls, anyway)

I add a few drops of lavender essential oil and my laundry has never smelled more fresh.

Also from Pinterest, I made one of these diy reed diffusers.

I used a blend of lavender and cedar, which is a soft restful scent.

Truthfully - I haven't noticed any scent diffusing from this thing,

but I did get a good night's sleep - so who knows?

For even more crafty fun, I whipped up a batch of lip balm.

There are lots of recipes out there, but I made up my own.

Yeah, this stuff should be called

"Lip conditioning-moisturizing-kick-ass-best-ever-turn-back-the-clock balm"

I'll probably tweek the recipe anyway, just for fun.

And finally - I made my third batch of soap this week.

I have the little bars curing on the kitchen table - all lined up like tiny little soldiers.

Greg gazes upon them in a perplexed sort of way -

"You know, I think we have enough soap for a year, here"

Hmmmmmm

Yes, he's probably right...

and yet - I really don't think I can stop.

Soooo - family members you should probably beware,

Christmas - it is a-comin'

But hey, maybe I'll also throw in some of my

lip conditioning-moisturizing-kick-ass-best-ever-turn-back-the-clock balm.

How about you - up to anything crafty lately?

Have a great weekend!

Random Five Friday @ A Rural Journal

complete randomness

It's Friday -

and that means it's time for a little randomness with Nancy at A Rural Journal

My little suburb is just a few miles outside Boston and until a couple of weeks ago this electrical box was sporting gang symbols. I'm liking this look much better.

Pretty cute - yes?

This week Greg and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary

:-)

I just finished The Paris Wife and enjoyed it much more than I expected to.

Last weekend we bought freshly picked apples from the orchard. If I enjoyed baking, I'd make some apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake...

But - I don't - so I just pin the recipes instead.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend in Vermont. Saturday is the dam release for whitewater rafters (I'll be watching - not participating) -

and the annual Peru Fair where I'm hoping to pick up some beeswax candles.

That's it for me - have a great weekend!

random five friday - happy labor day

We may not have seen any hawks last weekend, but the views from atop Putney Mountain were fantastic!

Yeah - you just never know what you'll find while hiking in the woods of Vermont.

Students are returning to the college campus where I work. It's beginning to feel a bit like Fall around here.

Today is the last day I'll be driving myself to work. Yep - I'm putting my daily commute into the hands of the MBTA

I'm wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and hope you find a few moments to relax from your labors.

Love, peace, and joy!

I am joining Nancy at A Rural Journal for Random Five Friday

five on friday - vacation randomness

So - this week it was back to work, again -

and while I'm slow to get back into the swing of things,

it only took one commute into the city to pretty much wipe out a week of r & r...

Ahhhh well - it is what it is...

My backlog of photos is starting to stress me out, 

so for this week's five, I am sharing random images from my random week.

Greg and Chicago-daughter - taking a short pause during a hike.

We met up with these Appalachian Trail thru hikers at the top of Bromley mountain.

They were high as a kite, but I do admire their moxie.

Massachusetts lighthouse in my mom's seaside town.

I'm calling this awkward cutie "Woodrina"

Okay - yeah, I welcome suggestions...

Jamaica, Vermont Old Home Day celebration.

So that was my week in a nutshell.
I hope you're enjoying a little summer down-time, as well.
Have a great weekend!

Random 5

Yipee - it's Friday and time for a little randomness.

Hey! Whatchu  lookin' at?!

1) A few weeks ago I bought my very first bird feeder.

Oh yeah, now we're the birdy party house!

2) I'm adding a bird bath this weekend
because - you know - I kind of want to be the hostess with the mostest.
More on that little adventure another time...

3) I'd really like to add a peanut feeder, but I should probably wait until the fall when the bears go into hibernation.
I really don't want to be the bear party house.

4) And moving on,
I've been testing both Feedly and Bloglovin. So far Feedly is winning, but they're both pretty buggy on an iPad.

 - or -

 maybe it's just me...

5) Next week is the 4th of July - can you believe it?

I am so looking forward to seeing some very special people!

For more randomness, head over to Nancy's for

Random 5 Friday

I am wishing you a wonderful weekend!

random friday

Wow - this week went by fast and I'm so happy it's Friday.
I'd like to say I'll catch my breath this weekend,
but doesn't it seem that weekends pass by in double time?

Anyway - it's Friday, and time for 5 random things.

1) I found these pretty blossoms hanging over my driveway, and they have a beautiful sweet fragrance. I have no clue what they are, but they're welcome to hang out at my house anytime.

2) Today is Chicago-daughter's birthday. If anyone had told me 28 years ago that my little baby girl was going to be a first-grade teacher in Chicago, I would have thought - 

wait.....what?
(I guess it's hard to imagine them flying so far from the nest)

3) I am pondering - what happened to summer?

4) My next door neighbors have two bichon frise puppies - and while I'm more of a labrador retriever in a pickup sort of gal, I have to admit - those two little puff balls are pretty darned cute!

5) I stayed home last weekend because Greg was away on a business trip - and I missed
the Strolling of the Heifers. Yep, for real!
No way I'm missing it again next year -
I am gonna go see me some strolling cows!

That's it for me this week.
Have a great weekend!!  :-)
 - yeah, I know, I like enthusiastic punctuation...

Random 5 Friday

mountain biking and blogging

Yes - it's Friday!

Time for 5 random or not-so-random things...

1) Mountain biking - two thumbs up!

I'd give it three if I had them

but - well - I don't (that would be odd)

2) I am really, really terrible at Google+

I apologize to anyone following along that way.

Seriously - I can't even remember to add my posts. let alone do some well deserved +1's.

 I promise to try harder...

3) I'm confused by the news that google reader is going away.

I know, this is old news, but then - I'm a procrastinator.

I follow all blogs - even non-blogger ones with GFC, and that's the way I like it.

Do I need to change?

4) I am making a conscious effort to stop using so many exclamation points in my comments!! Whenever I go back and re-read one, I'm shocked by all my shouting! Is there another way to express enthusiastic praise?!?

(okay - starting now)

5) The next comment I write on your blog that lacks exclamation points - 

please do not read in a bored monotone.

I'm not bored  - and I don't speak in a monotone.

That's it for me - work has been crazy and probably will remain so for the next few weeks. I'll try to keep up, but please forgive me if I can't.

I'm wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

(no exclamation point, but I mean it enthusiastically)

keep vermont weird

Sitting in our favorite coffee shop

- where else? -

and I get a chuckle out of this guitar case.

Vermont is weird?

Hmmmmm

unique, quirky, quaint, uncommon...

All the adjectives that describe what makes Vermont special.

Weird? okay - sure, it's all just semantics.

Besides - it's always good to have a cause - I wonder where I can sign up.

Anyway - it's Friday - time for another random five

1) I found two different couples crossing the U.S.A. on bicycle. One of the couples is now on day #41. They've ridden 2,218 miles so far - Yorktowne, Virginia to Canon City, Colorado.
Yep - I'm impressed.

2) I love thunderstorms at night - they lull me off to sleep. This week we had a good thunderstorm and I slept like a baby - although - that saying never really made sense to me. As I remember it, babies wake up and cry periodically. I definitely didn't do that.

3) We don't get many good thunderstorms in New England like we did in the Midwest. But then, we don't get many tornadoes, either.

4) This weekend I'm planning to try mountain biking. Are you thinking what I am?
Yeah, I know, I really didn't learn anything from that recent pogo stick experience...

5) It's unanimous - blueberry baked oatmeal is yummy.
Recipe from epicurious here

That's all for me this week - have a wonderful weekend!

.

random five and flowers in my garden

"Away

Is a place that's easy to find

And a feeling that's impossible to forget"

GoRving.com

1) It would seem that as we were naming our getaway "Away", Go RVing was planning its new "Discover Away" ad campaign - and it pretty much captures the essence of Away.
Hmmm - yeah......
This makes me feel just a teensy bit annoyed.

2) I found a couple irises struggling behind some overgrown shrubs and transplanted them near my driveway.

 I'm really glad I did.

3) My back is killing me and I don't know why.
Well... okay...
it might possibly have something to do with the pogo stick that Nearby-apartment-daughter
found in our garage.

4) Farmer's markets start this weekend.
Yep - I'm excited.

5) I'm planning to try a new recipe this weekend - blueberry baked oatmeal.
Does that sound as strange to you as it does to me?
I'll let you know.

I'm joining:

Nancy for Random 5 Friday

Jill for Weekend Garden Party

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

it all started with business cards

I hope you all are well

Taking a bloggy break has left me feeling a little bit disconnected

- and a little bit energized.

So anyway - my break - it all started with business cards

- or rather, the lack of business cards.

Do you have cards for your blog? Do you use them often?

It seems as though more and more I'm running into situations where they would sure be handy.

Somehow it just seems easier than long-winded explanations of what I'm doing.

Anyway - this led to the need to do some blog updates

which led to the need to finish my photoshop class

which led to -

Sheesh - wouldn't it be great if there were more hours in a day?

Anyway - I don't know about you, but May is becoming one of my favorite months

here are my 5 reasons why

1) Flowers - Spring comes slowly to New England

but we suddenly went from mud to flowers - Yeah!

2) More daylight - no more driving to and from work in the dark. Soon, I'll be able to switch out some of those dreaded gym visits with an early morning bike ride.

(smile)

3) Evenings on the deck

4) Anticipation of Summer - sometimes anticipation is as good as the real thing...

5) Following cross-country cyclists - it's the time of year where cyclists on cross-country journeys get started. I'm usually able to find 2 or 3 on twitter that I can live vicariously through for the next 3 months. If you know of anyone making a coast-to-coast trip on their bicycle and blogging about it, I'd love to follow along.

That's it for me.

Have a wonderful day!

random five for a random week

TGIF and a happy Friday to all of you!

1) It's commencement week here at the university where I work - and what a festive atmosphere on campus! All those happy, hopeful faces beneath the caps - and happy, proud parents. This morning I saw one young graduate sporting her red cowgirl boots beneath her gown. :-)

2) I switched my blogger profile to Google+ and am feeling ambivalent about the change. Any pros or cons that you know of?

3) I'm two months into my new morning gym routine and doing well with it. One of my co-workers enthusiastically asks "Don't you just love it"

Hmmmmmm - nope

I enjoy exercise and all -

but will never love packing my clean work clothes in a gym bag, rushing out the door before  6 am, and showering for work in a locker room.

Nope, never going to love that.

4) I'm thinking that if you're going to display a "Baby on Board" sign in your car window, you should also put away your cell phone, and maybe, just maybe, not text and drive.

Just sayin'

5) Next week I am going to go without breads, pasta, cookies, sweets -

for the whole week - yikes -

so, this morning when I stopped for my coffee, I figured a donut was in order.

I'm planning to take a short break from blogging. This is my crazy time at work, I also want to get caught up with my Picture Pro-cess class (which, by the way, is fabulous), and take care of a couple other small projects. Besides - no cupcakes next week - I may be grumpy.

Take care - and have a wonderful weekend!

random five - whisper words of wisdom

Finally - things are starting to bloom, here in New England.

And - I'm wrapping up my week of 200 mm -

which was a whole lot more fun than I expected it to be.

I'm not sure what I've learned, yet, but honestly -

limiting my choices was not a bad thing.

Anyway
Often while I'm reading your blogs,

I enjoy the quotes that sometime accompany your images.

Then I think to myself,

why don't I know any quotes?

Ponder

And guess what - I do.

They're like my own little mantras.

So today I will share five of my favorites - in no particular order.

"Peace begins with a smile." Mother Teresa

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." John Lennon

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

(turn, turn, turn)

"There will be an answer, let it be" The Beatles

"Ob la di, Ob la da, life goes on" The Beatles

Hmmm, yeah - think maybe I'm a baby boomer?

And with these little words of wisdom,

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

random five

Completely random...
My mind has been a bit scattered all week -
waking this morning to the news of a dramatic scene unfolding in Boston.
I am finding myself with an unexpected day off, and
I pray that this all ends without further blood shed. 

I spied these jugs outside a shop in Jamaica, Vermont.
When I shot them last weekend, I loved them for their bright cheerful colors -
today when I look at them, their rainbows symbolize hope.

These week from my scattered brain - completely random thoughts:

1) I am wrapping up my photography exercise next week with a 200 mm setting.
This should be interesting...

2) Last year for Mother's Day, my daughters gave me a pair of red cowgirl boots.
They're perfect for adding some pizzazz to my catholic schoolgirl style.

3) I thrive on sunshine. I don't care whether the temperature is 0 degrees or 100. If the sun is shining, I'm likely smiling.

4) I am dreaming on quiet mornings on the lake in my kayak.

5) Again - no number five, so I will wish you all a happy weekend.
Take care.

five on friday - my "style" edition

Okay - so it's still just a little early to say that Spring has sprung -

and I suspect that when we get to Away this evening, we'll find that there are still many piles of snow along with a fair amount of mud.

But - here in Boston, we have our first blooms - 

and this guy looks much happier to me, lounging among the petals.

So - I'm calling this week's random five - my so-called style

1) I'm tall, which I definitely didn't appreciate when I was young - but now, I'm kind of liking it.

2) I have a closet full of cardigan sweaters. I don't know how or why this happened, but boy, do I ever need a style consultant!

3) I also have a closet full of flats - but then, I don't really need to wear heels now, do I?

4) A typical outfit for me is a skirt, tights, flats and sweater (okay, yeah, a cardigan) - which my kindest friends call "classic", but I know it's really more like "catholic school girl"

5) One thing I love about having daughters is their savvy style advice which goes something like -
eye roll - "no, mom..... no"

So with that -

A quick update on my focal length "challenge" -

I probably shouldn't call it a "challenge" so much as a "creative exercise". 

This week was all 24 mm -(which is just one of the settings on my kit lens).

And what have I learned so far?

Well, if I want to take different shots - I have to move around.

Believe it or not, that in itself is a valuable lesson -

"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." Ansel Adams

Linking with A Rural Journal for Random Five Friday 

five on friday

Yikes!

Killer week - and that's enough on that topic...

TGIF!

Anyway - walking back to my mom's house last weekend,

I noticed this fence zigzagging up a side street,

and it actually worked well with this weeks 100 mm.

So, for my five random thoughts, I'm finding that I really like Deanna's Letters on Friday format:

Dear Friday,
Thank you for being you. I'm so happy that you're here!
:-)

Dear 100mm,
I know I haven't really given you a fair shot, but we're probably not going to be bff's - we just don't seem to see things the same way.

Dear Vermont,
I get the whole mud season thing, really I do, but please - please - allow my little Subaru to make it up the hill to my driveway tonight. Please?

Dear 5 am
Why, oh why, oh why must you be such a rude awakening? Every day you arrive much too quickly and you're much too dark - just saying.

Dear Headache,
Stop - now - please.

I'm joining Random Five Friday and Friday's Fences

Have a wonderful weekend!

five on friday

1) My week of all 50 mm is coming to an end. I was afraid this challenge would be limiting, but I'm actually liking it so far. This week I learned the importance of moving around (yep - with my feet) and choosing different angles when feeling limited by the focal length. Up on deck - 18 mm.

2) Also on tap for next week Kim Klassen's Picture Pro-cess for Elements 11 course. I'm pretty exciting to learn some of the ins and outs of this program.

3) I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love blogging and Pinterest and - well - let's just say I'm not overly fond of Facebook. I closed my account (gasp!) a few months ago and have yet to miss it.

4) I finished my granny square blanket. Newbie effort - for sure - but I'm pretty happy with it. And now, I'm needing a new project - time for a visit to the yarn shop.

5) Ummm - there's no number 5 - so I'll just wish a happy Easter to all who celebrate it, and to everyone - a wonderful weekend!