“If I had influence with the good fairy… I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.”
-Rachel Carson
Weekly Photo Challenge: Windows
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Tag: weekly photo challenge
Detour
STOP
My plans for the fall have come to a halt. Or maybe just had to be revised. Due to circumstances beyond his control, my son finds himself needing some assistance in caring for CJ (almost 8) and Beej (approaching 3). Working a 24 on/48 off shift means that he needs more than just “keep an eye on the kids for a few hours” help. It requires at least two overnights and now that school has begun, on the average of three mornings getting CJ ready and off to school and then picked up and homework duty.
Cross Traffic Does Not Stop
Crossing the road both figuratively and literally can be quite tricky. I’m dealing with two children, who are quite precious to me, and although I know them almost as well as I knew their dad at these ages, I just never know what we will find around the corner. (or across the street). Whether it’s teething, an inability to sleep due to excitement, or a classic case of missing Daddy, I have to be prepared for anything.
Detour
My life has taken an unexpected detour. I have always enjoyed spending time with my grandsons, and this takes that togetherness up a notch. I am blessed to have a husband who loves our grandsons as much as I do and brings his own kind of grandfatherly goofiness and priceless assistance to our days and nights. We have easily fallen back into long forgotten routines from years ago. I am happy to give my son peace of mind while he works at a job that requires him to be alert and free from home distractions while on duty. I am lucky to have this special time with these guys!
“See any detour as an opportunity to experience new things.”
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Happy Saturday!
-Kat
This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Corner.
Textures
“Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.”
– A. R. Ammons
Once again, the oddball pictures I take when I’m out and about have been put to good use- this time for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Textures. It was difficult deciding which to choose. Lucky for me, I see another photo challenge coming up in a few weeks that also uses the theme “Texture” so I am able to hold back a handful for the next one.
Thanks for stopping in!
-Kat
Small Wonders
“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself.” – L. Wolfe Gilbert
There is such peace in nature. When I need to clear my head, I find that taking a walk surrounded by trees, water or both helps me to sort things out. Since I began taking pictures, it’s become even more therapeutic for me. As I have been slowly learning how to use my camera, I discovered that I enjoy taking closeups. Flowers, leaves, weeds and more are the perfect subjects! And the concentration helps me to chase out unwanted thoughts and to focus on the beauty in front of me. It seems like we are so busy that we forget to take time and be present in the moment.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kat
I wish…
A recurring theme keeps appearing in my life- people telling me that I need to take time for myself. This is something I’ve heard on and off but recently, well meaning, caring people have been gently insisting that I need to recharge, regroup and relax. (And since they don’t all know each other, that’s a signal to me that it’s time to listen.)
Time to write
Walks with my favorite buddies
Wishes
Figuring out my camera!
Antique browsing
What’s your wish?
Happy Sunday!
-Kat
This post is in response to Weekly Photo Challenge: Wish prompt.
Where I Am
I’m at a crossroad. I’ve been here for awhile now…..each time I thought I might choose a path, something stopped me. Most recently these were family members with health issues but those have been managed, or as best as they can be. When I saw Weekly Photo Challenge: The Road Taken and Daily Prompt: Ruminate, the two seemed to intersect, leading back to my crossroad again.
I never planned to have a career in retail and it wasn’t what I studied but that’s where I ended up for over 10 years. It proved to be a bad fit while raising three small children. I was blessed enough to have a supportive husband who knew that my heart was at home with our children and by tightening up the purse strings, I was able to stay home with them for their entire childhood.
So much of what I experienced while on the mom road was what I expected. There were school days, some sports and tons of kids activities. Having band kids, I spent as much time driving kids to and from rehearsals and performances as I did chauffeuring them to school. There were endless concerts, shopping for dresses, college visits and finally dorm rooms.
Over the years, the roads took us to some exciting and beautiful places and we created family memories all over the country, complete with all the ups and downs that accompany family vacations.
While I expected grandchildren somewhere along my journey, I did not expect them quite yet. My grandsons have been such an unexpected surprise. They bring me such happiness and joy that I don’t even mind being a young Nonna. To be honest, as I have been camping at this latest crossroad, they have been the reasons that I haven’t moved on. When you become a grandparent, you are able to apply your parenting experience and know what works and what doesn’t. You are able to rock your grandson much longer than you did his daddy because you know how fleeting these moments are and you can fully appreciate every precious experience. You are able to live more fully in that moment because you aren’t caught up in the whirlwind day to dayness of being a mom.
Another unexpected find on my road has been this blog and returning to writing. I have such admiration for those moms of little ones (and older busy ones) who manage to produce posts. I knew that I wanted to write, but there was never time. As I have been idling at this crossroad, I realized that there will never be time unless I make a concentrated effort to write. I am learning to acknowledge and work to provide what I need in order to write,whether it is a quiet place, time, or a working laptop and access to Google Docs.
I know that the time to move is approaching and I will be taking steps farther into a new phase of my life. I’m considering classes or a new job or both. I want to spend more time on this blog and writing in general. And I definitely want to have time to enjoy my grown up kids and the cool adults they have become as well as the little guys and all the sunshine they bring.
I’m not sure where this road will take me. I’m a tad bit nervous. But I’m also excited. So much of my life has been spent raising my family- and I don’t regret a single moment of it. I do have to admit that I’m curious to see who I am when I’m not being Mom and where this road is taking me.
A Dog and Her Kids
“The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic.”
Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit
Walks with my favorite buddies
Every dog should have their own kid or two to take care of. Our dog, Ari, is proud to be the self-appointed caretaker of seven year old CJ and two year old Beej. She takes this position seriously and doesn’t hesitate to protect her kids from anyone she views as a potential threat…..even if that person happens to be their own father! One thing is certain- there’s no mistaking the love between Ari, CJ and Beej!
B is for…
This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: A Good Match.
Solitude
“Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.”
-Pablo Picasso
“Solitude, whether endured or embraced,
is a necessary gateway to original thought.”
-Jane Hirshfield
“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”
-Albert Einstein
“The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.”
-Thomas A. Edison
This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Solitude.
Happy Saturday!
-Kat
Rain
“The rain, rain, rain
Came down, down, down
In rushing, rising riv’lets
‘Til the river crept out of its bed
And crept right into Piglet’s”–Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
It has been a particularly rainy and windy last few weeks. Ari, who is not fond of rain and/or wind, has not been happy. Last week she had to go outside and do her business in a torrential downpour- twice. This is a pup who will hold it forever if she feels that weather conditions are unfavorable. Poor girl! We are keeping our fingers crossed for drier days as we welcome the fall colors!!
This post is working double time in response to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Liquids and The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: H2O.
On the Edge
“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” -Kurt Vonnegut
I am definitely not a “live life on the edge” kind of person. You can see from the pictures above that I am content to view the world a safe distance away from the edge. As I looked through photographs looking something suitable for this prompt, it struck me how much I prefer to have my feet planted firmly on the ground.
Some people love to live on the edge. They seem to thrive and grow as they teeter on that precarious edge.
Those people tend to drain the life out of me. They can be great fun but for me, in much smaller doses.
“When one jumps over the edge, one is bound to land somewhere.” -D. H. Lawrence
Don’t get me wrong- I have ventured close to the edge a time or two in my lifetime. (I did not like it.) Fear of the unknown plays part in my dislike. I will admit that. But there is more to it. Sometimes it’s not fear- just a lack of interest. Do I really need to “know” those things that I haven’t experienced if I have no desire to know them? I think that there are things that I might have gained when I was younger, if I had lived (or just ventured occasionally) closer to the edge.
My view from a few feet back can be pleasant. It is often quite revealing. I’ve learned so much about human nature, observed so many details and nuances that would have been missed if I had been standing at the edge, ready to jump. And it is those many tiny things that energize me and motivate me. They feed my creativity.
And so I will continue to stand back here and keep an eye on things. If I’m curious, or so moved, I might take a few steps closer to the edge to get a better look.
(But not too close.)
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kat
This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Edge.
