Happy Birthday

Today is Se'Lah's birthday. She is the Super Hero of the NecessaryRoom blog. Ever the Champion of the underdog and fierce Protector of Justice, she still manages to pull off HUGE web parties for others. She expects nothing in return.


I think she at least needs an occasional cookie. I decided she might like some NASCAR Oreos.


Happy Birthday Se'Lah!

ShutterBug Family

ShutterBug Family
Originally uploaded by Moonflower Studio

There are 4 generations in this group, starting with my grandmother in the uppper left corner.

I sent this to the flickr 'Creative Challenge' for the COLLAGE theme. It is an interesting set of themes bringing in fabulous submissions. I must confess to being somewhat addicted. OK, really addicted. But maybe that's a good thing

I put this together over a year ago when I made the serendipitous discovery that I had them all. I guess the photography 'bug' has been there in the DNA all along!

The Creative Challenge Group's administrator is Vicki from Simply Hue, a fine shutterbug in her own right. Check out her blog here.

I want to publically thank Simply Hue for creating this group. I am learning as much about me as a photographer as I am about the endless possibilities of photography.

...and I want to thank all those other generations of mine for sharing their gifts with me.

Simple Things of Summer

Simple things I enjoy ...

* fireworks ¸.•*¨`*.¸.•❊, fireflies and sparklers...
*and birthday candles like those for Christina today
*the 4th of July
Next to Christmas, my favorite holiday
*Small town parades
*The swirl, snap and whoosh of an American flag on a warm breeze
*Watermelon
*Ceiling fans
*Oscillating fans
*Foamy lace sliding down the sides of a glass of Summerfest beer
*Bing cherries in a great big bowl
*Moonflowers
*Bubbles, simple spheres of iridescence
*the drone of dog days cicadas
*Old photographs
*New photographs
*Skin-so-soft mosquito repellent
*The smell of suntan lotion
*Tinkerbelle
*State fair
*Watching my husband’s eyes when attending the judging of dairy cows
To watch this generation of farm kids vie for Junior Champion
*Drive in movies
*Popcorn in red striped boxes
*The sound of children giggling in a kiddy pool
♫Gershwin’s “Summertime” sung by anyone, but this is sooo my fave
*My new Reeboks; I swear they are re-aligning my spine.
*The smell of a campfire
*Pik-Nik potato sticks

*Pink Lemonade
*Sunglasses
*Maxwell Street Days at Field Park
With my daughter
And 2 of my three grandchildren
*One of who likes the more relaxed pace of summertime
*One of who likes being able to have sleepovers in the middle of the week!
*And the simple joy of discovering new swimming pools
*But both agree on one thing
And that is fishing in the boat

*I watch and take photos, they fish.

*The water laps against the side and splashes when they release their catch back to the lake.

*Simple sounds become symphonies on such perfect days. May you have your perfect day today Christina!

Happy Birthday

One Love

: )

Ooooooo... eye drops!

Ooooooo... eye drops!
Originally uploaded by Moonflower Studio

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am an Uber fan of all things Pixar and/or Disney. Many also know that providing voices for beloved characters (or even inanimate objects) is a skill achieved by diligent practice. How else do you read all the right voices to ‘The 3 Bears’? How else can you hold a child’s rapt attention to ‘The Monster at the End of This Book’ unless you can convincingly mimic Grover?
It is news, however, that I have recently acquired a really schnazzy prescription for my dry eyes. Even the directions are complicated.
Quite recently these elements were strewn about my kitchen table. My husband was also in the vicinity. He is an engineer in more than one persuasion i.e. electrical, mechanical, automotive, etc. His mind is filled with formulas and schematics and he is wound tighter than a Tesla coil. He considers an Einstein biography ‘light reading’. So as he passed me by I used my best ‘Alien’ voice and chirped, “Oooo… eye drops!”
He laughed. And stopped thinking about schematics long enough to say “That was funny.” Later he asked me why I hadn’t taken a picture of this scenario yet. Later still he asked if I had submitted it.

Because I love him, I wanted to make him laugh and lighten his complicated day. Because he loves me, he laughed. Like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head we appear to be made for each other.

With Voices Raised...

⋆ "If particular attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to instigate a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no representation or voice (Abigail Adams, 1776)

⋆ "Look at me. Look at my arm. I have plowed, I have planted, and I have gathered into barns. And no man could head me. And ain't I a woman?" (Sojourner Truth, 1851)

⋆ “I have never had a vote, and I have raised hell all over this country! You don't need a vote to raise hell! You need convictions and a voice" (Mother Jones, 1914)

⋆ " I wish to introduce today a proposal that has been before Congress for the last forty years and that sooner or later must become part of the basic law of this land-- The Equal Rights Amendment" ( Shirley Chisolm, 1969)

⋆ "Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing the ground" (Frederick Douglass, 1857)

⋆ “I am here to demand my rights and to hurl thunderbolts at the man who would dare to cross the threshold of my manhood" (Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, 1868)

⋆ " We declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the right of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary" (Malcolm X, 1964)

⋆ “We are on the move now. Yes, we are on the move and no wave of racism can stop us" ( Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, 1965)

⋆ "If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most common basic link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal. (President John F. Kennedy, 1963)

The preceding quotes were used in the composition of
"With Voices Raised"
a new piece for orchestra, mixed chorus, and speakers, with music by Stephen Flaherty and text by Lynn Ahrens. It is found on the album:"A Splash of Pops", released on June 29, 1999.

Circle of Life

In the days surrounding memories of my Mom ...
There has been a Baby shower, a belated birthday, a Strawberry Moon, and many happy returns of the day.

At the baby shower we have celebrated a little boy we have yet to meet. Not yet among us, we love him already.

We have celebrated a belated birthday; despite the delay the candles still burned as bright.

There has been a Strawberry Moon, the name given a full moon in June. I love that they each have names.

There have been many happy returns of travelers; the family from vacation, the kids from adventures in Pennsylvania, the husband from business in Portland.

As the holiday weekend unfolds we will gather to share our memories, stories, adventures and travels and enjoy the company of each other. All of us floating on the ripples of the Great Circle that is Life. I wish for you the same pleasant pastime, and a wonderful weekend.