WHY?......JANUARY 31 2012.............

That is the question of the day.

Why did it take three months of non-customer service to get my refrigerator, that they would "fix" and it would stop working the next day, to finally convince them to replace said fridge?

Why did it take 6 weeks for a book order to arrive (I think they wanted the book for a Christmas Gift, the order was mailed November 26, I believe was the date) and it did not arrive until six weeks later.  Not mailed from China, or Russia or some such place.  Mailed from Columbus, Ohio, a 2-1/2 hour drive from here.  6 WEEKS!!!!!

Why does the Customer Service Department (I no longer believe there is such a thing as "customer service") of our local newspaper - first when a family member's newspaper subscription was up, refused to take her credit card number for a one year (year, not week) renewal, telling her to pay the delivery person. 

After several weeks of haggling, they finally discontinued delivery for "non-payment".   More phone calls, they finally decided they would take her payment and start delivery the next day.  Not only did she have to make the year's payment, she also, voluntarily I might add, paid the amount due for papers delivered after the expiration date of the subscription. 

As of yesterday she still was not receiving her paper, but they had her money.

I do on-line banking.  Yesterday I received 5 e-mails from said bank informing me that they were cancelling the 5 payments I had scheduled previously  for payments due on February 03, February 08, February 13, and February 14.  Phone Call!!!

I was assured yesterday that the problem would be resolved by 4:00 p.m.  Not to worry.  It is now 9:35 a.m. the next day.  Still no access to bill payment.  Telephone call.  They were having problems with a few of their customer's accounts, it would be corrected shortly.  They didn't say how long "shortly" would be.  Another day?  A week?  A month? 
You know what happens if a payment is late.  YOU, NOT THE BANK, gets penalized.  One is my home telephone. No payment no phone.  Another is my cell phone.  Again no payment no phone.  Guess they figure that with no phone  I can't call and complain, which I have done two days in a row now.  Tomorrow is February 1st!!!!!!! 

I did inform the customer service person that if the problem was not fixed TODAY, I expected someone from said bank to hand deliver the payments to the two phone companies by FEBRUARY 2nd - the due date, so my phones would not be disconnected, or blocked, or whatever it is they do to stop your phone service.

So today I am supposed to sit in my house, beside my phone, so I can receive the call from the bank informing me that my banking was back in order.  Like I don't have anything else to do but sit in my house beside my phone.

I certainly hope your day is going to be better than mine.  First me and the fridge.  Second daughter and the paper.  Third me and the bank.  Fourth daughter and.............

I think if that happens she will dis-own me.  Can't say as how I would blame her. 

Have a great day and God Bless.

THE VERDICT IS IN....JANUARY 30 2012..........

Nothing bad.  Today is the second of my two-day photography class.  Everyone passed, everyone was different.

Today we learn what to do with the pictures after they are on the memory card, the downloading, editing, and the hardest part of all, the deleting.

It takes a lot of practice and self-discipline to delete pictures that YOU have taken.  First inclination is to keep them all.  Then you have a bejillion pictures, many bad, many many duplications, some good, some really good.

So today delves into these areas, along with a discussion of each participant's pictures, the good, the bad, what can be changed, what can't,  what you did right, what you did wrong, and on and on. 

I asked everyone to bring a snack, I am making coffee cake and have a veggie and dip tray.  Should be a fun, nit-picking, pick-nicky kind of day.  The nit-picking is the discussion of the pictures.  the pick-nicky is eating the snacks.  That will probably be the best part.

So am running out of time here, this blog will be short, have things to do before the gang arrives and we get started.

Right now a lot going on, but that is no different, seems as if there is always a lot going on.  Will keep you all posted as time goes by.  

Received an e-mail this morning from one promoter of a new festival I had participated in last year, and really liked it and want to go back.  Anyhow Linda graciously advised me that since I had participated last year, I WOULD NOT have to apply this year, that the contract and information would be forwarded this week.  How cool is that?  

Jurying is always nerve-wracking, even the shows that you have done for years and years.  there is always the off-chance that the jurors for a particular year really didn't like, or get, your work and you are rejected.  It has happened to me through the years, and almost all the vendors I am friends with.  We just pick up the pieces, and think "there's always next year".  And usually next year we are accepted.  Sometimes jurors have bad days also.

So will sign off for now, have a good day, the sun is shining, just a trace of snow, but cold.  Better days ahead.  So enjoy and God Bless. 

NANCY's NIGHT.....JANUARY 29 2012.....


You'll notice I am using purple today - the sign of royalty.  That came into play big time last night.  Last night was Nancy's night, and what a wonderful night it was.  She was celebrating one of the big "O's".  (Notice I said just one big O). It was a surprise birthday party.  It was great. 

But leave it to Nancy.  It was a surprise, mostly.  She said she began suspecting something when son Ethan had asked her to go with him to pick up a truck he was buying (so she could drive the car back home), but suggested she wear something besides her grungy loaf at home attire.

Now why would she have to dress for a truck run?  So just in case - she is always prepared - she put a small plastic bag in her pocket with miniature colored "happy birthday" stuff to throw in the air.  Just in case.

She walked through the door.  The lights were out, I was ready with my camera, but who came through the door first - Ethan than.  Blocked Nancy.  Did get a picture, not what I wanted, she WAS surprised, and as soon as the lights came back up, she reached in her pocket, yelled surprise, and threw the birthday stuff in the air.  That was just the beginning of a wonderful evening.

I took lots of pictures.  The neat thing is - is that Nancy and my son Michael have the same birthday - January 30.  It was just a year ago that we had the surprise 50th birthday party for Mike.  How neat is that?

So this week I will be downloading pictures, except for Monday when the second day of my photography class happens, then the editing, and making CD's. 

The party was held at Oglebay Park in Wheeling, in the Lodge, one of their party rooms.  The dinner was catered by the Lodge buffet style, food was plentiful and good, the waiters and waitresses were great, the facility excellent for picture-taking, an evening to remember.  

Her son Ethan and my son Mike have been friends for a long time.  All part of the family, so to speak.

There were friends of Nancy's there that she hadn't seen in some time, she was so excited.  

So my thanks go to Ethan, and Sue, and Candace, and all the others, who worked so hard to make a wonderful memory for Nancy.  Way to go kids!

Enjoy the Pro-Bowl today and God Bless.

LET'S HAVE A STYLE SHOW....JANUARY 28 2012......


That is what is on the agenda for today.  And just why is that?  Should I keep you guessing, or should I tell you why?

It's kinda like this.  I have a friend.  This friend has a daughter, slightly younger than my daughter, who shall remain nameless.  They are  the same size. My daughter's daughter is close to the same size as my daughter, who is close to the same size as my friend's daughter.  Confused yet?  

So the first daughter (of friend) is not married, has a good job with a major accounting firm, and buys lots of clothes.  Which she replaces regularly (like maybe every day?)  So the discards, so to speak, go to my friend, who is retired and like me never wears anything out, so what will she do with all this stuff. 

LIGHT BULB!  Let's pass it on to Martha who can pass it on to her daughter and granddaughter. So guess what?  

Right now my family room looks like a rummage sale - I did take everything (almost) out of the bags (there were 15 of them), different sizes (the bags not the clothes) and have them laid out in piles - pile after pile after pile.

Since my daughter will be here later this morning I made a pot of Stuffed Pepper soup yesterday for our lunch today.  I know it is good because I sampled it for my supper last night.

After lunch we will head for the family room and the fun will begin.  Once she has everything she thinks they (daughter and graddaughter) can use, the rest will be re-bagged and passed on.  Usually we donate to charity that runs clothes closets.  

This clothing exchange happens about 4 times a year, spring, summer, fall, and winter.  This is the winter exchange - lots of sweaters, jackets, slacks, jeans, the sort of stuff you wear in the winter.  From the looks my friend's daughter has an entirely new winter wardrobe.  

Oh! to be young again, have a good job, single, and replace your wardrobe 4 times a year.  Then there are people like me and my friend, old, no job, been married (we're both widows) and are wearing the same clothes we have had for the last decade or two.  At least you know we have not gained a ton of weight.  Maybe just a little.

And so, later today the style show will begin.  We have fun, and when we look at some of the stuff we wonder "where on earth would you wear that?"  Maybe that is why it is in the discard pile to begin with.

If you want to be involved, come on down, as they say on Price is Right, you are the next contestant and the first item is a pair of ..........

Have a good day and God Bless. 

WHAT?....JANUARY 27 2012........

That is the question of the day.  What am I going to write about?  What are my projects for the day?  What is the weather going to end up being?  What pot of gold will I find at the end of the rainbow?  What stupid phone calls am I going to get today?  I guess I could go on and on, but won't.

I have finished editing the pictures taken by my class. Makes you wonder.  I think Monday will be a very interesting day when they arrive and I start.  Maybe they will fire me.  Sorry, no refunds.

I have one whose pictures are very well done, thought out, just did a great job.  I have one who has a great eye, the pictures started out great, but as the day progressed, something happened.  they became un-focused, as if she either lost interest or her camera began misbehaving.

That leaves three - and they do need some work.  Perhaps I will arrange a one day photo shoot of my own and ask them if they want to tag along.  I don't know.

I do know that I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and am afraid I will.  How do you gracefully state - "your pictures are terrible"?

That is why I don't do too many classes.  I hate to disappoint anyone, but I can't tell them their pictures are great, when you can't even figure out for sure what it was they were aiming for.

Maybe in the next three days I will have a brain-storm (or a brain-freeze), whatever, and figure out how I am going to handle Monday's class.  If I don't do any more blogging after Monday, you will know that things didn't go well. 

Otherwise have a good day and God Bless.

IN-LAWS - CURRENT ONLY....JANUARY 26 2012.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could chose your in-laws? I don't know if it would be better or worse.  I have no clue.

I just know from experience.  I am a Mother-in-Law to two men and two women.  One son not married.  He said he is the smart one, that he doesn't need any help to spend his money.

Think about this.  Our oldest is a daughter.  She and her husband have been married for-ever, raised 3 kids, have 3 great grandkids.  They live in Arizona.  Their kids always said they were the odd-balls in school as they still had their original parents, not step-whatevers in their lives.

Our youngest daughter and her husband have been married over 25 years, have four children, two in college.  They haven't had to face that in-law scenario from a parents view point yet.

One son never married - as he said, he is the smart one.

Two sons have each been married three times.  It took three times to figure out how to do it right.  They finally both figured it out. HOORAY!!!  Finally 2 keepers! 

Now for the other side of the coin.  I wonder how they think of me as their Mother-in-Law.  It must be o.k., because they put up with me.  That takes a lot of good down-to-earthiness.  They travel with me, take me places, come home to see me, always call to check up on me.  I could go on and on.

But one of the best indicators I have had over the years is when I received a Christmas gift from my youngest daughter's husband.  It was a couple of years after they had married.  It was just a little gift, but kind of says it all.

It is a coffee mug - I collect the mugs, do not have any that match as I pick them up during my travels as a reminder of where I have been.

When you come to holiday dinners at my house you have matched china and mostly matched silver-ware.  But everyone has a different mug.  Is that cool or what?

But back to the gift.  It was this  that made me realize that my son-in-law really didn't seem to mind putting up with me.  Why is that?

The mug has a picture of a cowboy on it and a little  sentence that reads:  THERE WERE A HELLUVA LOT OF THINGS THEY DIDN'T TELL ME WHEN I HIRED ON WITH THIS OUTFIT.  My favorite mug.  And how true.  There are daily surprises no one knows for sure what is going to happen next. 

Enjoy your day and God Bless.

JUST WHEN I THINK.....JANUARY 25 2012..........

I have seen it all.  Think again.  I am not going to discuss anything bad.  It's just---- something to think about.

Yesterday was a blah day, so I went ahead and down-loaded the five memory cards to my computer for editing - which will start today.

I had 5 students.  Of the 5, two of them were, in want of a better word, outstanding.  The other three need some work.  One student should be very very good with portrait work.  One student needs a lot of help in just seeing what is around her.

I ended up with 115 pictures - and I wasn't even looking, just going along with the flow.  The two outstanding students shot 236 and 185 respectively.  Considering the time of year (yucky), they were able to work magic with their cameras. 

The other three did get some very very good pics, but not a variety, almost as if they zoomed in on one particular subject, and that is what they looked for.

The editing will start today.  These three students photographed (in the exact same time-frame) 99 pictures, 62 pictures and 47 pictures.  That is their total number of pictures taken in the same time frame as the 236 and 185.

I am deleting nothing from their memory cards, or the CD I am going to do.  But when I do my editing, some of the CD's will end up with more pics as I will copy some, and then using this copy show them what they should have done to get a better more balanced picture.  Zooming in, zooming out, moving one step to the left or three steps to the right, etc.

I am looking forward to next Monday. Should be fun, and hopefully I will have been able to help each and every one of them.

And so I had better sign off for now and get busy.  Sorry I'm running late - had a couple of early morning appointments and Bible Study.  Have a great day and God Bless.

A FUN DAY...JANUARY 24 2012.....

Yesterday was the first day of my 2-day photography class.  My 5 students arrived promptly at 9 a.m.  I had really considered cancelling as we had snow and ice and Sunday was a mess weather wise.  Held off.  Got up yesterday morning, pouring down rain.  Decided too late to cancel, would play it by ear.  Rain had stopped by 9, so it was a go.   Really cloudy though.

The first couple hours of my class consists of 5 major points: 

1.  Type of Class.  This is a hands on class, no technicalities.  Today's cameras handle everything 90 percent of us need to know, for the other 10 percent - find a "real" professional.

2. Perspective.  What do you see?  How do you want to present it?

3. Your camera.  You and your camera are partners.  It knows how to take the picture, you show it what to take the picture of.  You don't just point and shoot, you photograph from different angles, different perspectives.

4.  Time of Day.  Early morning until noon, late afternoon on are the best times.  Bright sunlight will wash the color out of the pictures, but there are secrets to photographing in bright sunlight that will give you excellent results.

5.  Weather conditions.  Never never let the weather influence whether or not you take pictures. Some of the best pictures are taken in the fog, on cloudy days, even in the rain. 

Yesterday was a classic example.  After our discussion, we adjourned for lunch (stopped at Hoss' as were going that way to Oglebay where the actual photo shoot was to take place), and then on to an afternoon filled with picture-taking.  By the time we left Hoss' the sun was shining, and we had a beautiful afternoon, sun, blue sky, white clouds.  That is why you go ahead with your plans.

We covered the basics of landscape, building, and people.  At little of this and a little of that.

Everyone said it was a fun day, I really do think they enjoyed themselves.  I have all their memory cards.  I will be spending the remainder of this week downloading the pictures, editing the pictures, creating a CD for each student.  Next Monday will be day 2, when everyone will be here and can see each other's pictures.

That is where the real fun begins.  Even though they were looking at the same thing, the pictures will all be completely different.  I had told each student that their memory card should be EMPTY.  I taught one class last year where one student used an almost full memory card.  Had 400 plus pictures for editing, and only about 60 were for the class.  I am sure there were some pics on there that she really didn't want anyone else to see.  So it is very important that we start out with an EMPTY memory card.

As I have said many times in the past, I never get bored.

So had better sign off for now, and start my editing.  Will probably take one students work each day, otherwise I will probably forget what it is that I am supposed to do.  Called mind boggling.  And so have a good day, enjoy the sunshine, and God Bless.

BREAKING NEWS!!!JANUARY 22 2012.........

How many times have you been watching a TV show and had this flash on the screen, then the follow-up story?  Every local station wants to be FIRST with a story.  Never mind if it is accurate, just be FIRST.

This happened last night.  Suddenly BREAKING NEWS flashed on the screen followed up with the story that one of our local college football coaches (60 years of coaching) had passed away.  He had been ill for the last three or so months and had been re-admitted the hospital a week ago.

On another local channel at the beginning of the 11 o'clock news they reported said coach was in serious condition - but had NOT  passed away as the earlier breaking news indicated on the other channel.

Everyone has to be first.  Doesn't matter who or what is in the way, it is "me first".  Doesn't say a who lot for our society, does it.

I wonder how the station that broadcast the BREAKING NEWS is going to cover up their mistake?  What will be their story?  Will they even have a story?  Or will it be swept under the
rug along with so many other things that are swept under said rug?  Rug must be at least 20 feet off the floor by now.

I know I am finding out that more and more being first is the goal.  Doesn't matter if you are right, wrong, indifferent, whatever, you have to be first - first in line, first to be served, first to pass on the gossip, first, first, first.....

Whatever happened to consideration, compassion, manners, common sense, caring, doing the right thing, saying the right thing.  They all seem to have flown out the window.

That is not how I was raised.  That is not how I raised my children.

I was taught to say "thank you, you're welcome, please, yes sir, yes m'am, I'm sorry".  I was taught not to talk when someone else was talking, not to interrupt someone else's conversation, not to "but in" so to speak.

I was taught to help, had chores that I was responsible for, had to drag my little sister along with me when I went out to play.  That was a bummer, but she went along, and I still got to play.

I was taught to share, everything in the world did not revolve around "me".  I was taught to be polite, even when I wanted to scream.  I was taught to "be me".  I tried to pass this on to my children.  I must have done something right, because my children, and their families, are following the same rules of thumb that I have tried to follow for the last century or so.

We respected authority, our teachers in school, our parents, our friends.  We attended Sunday School and Church.  We were taught to help others, and not make fun of the ones that were different.

I remember when growing up we lived on the very edge of town, with fields and woods around us.  It was the era of the hobo - the homeless folks that rode the railroad cars.  They sometimes camped in the woods. Once in a while one would show up on our doorstep.  My Mother always made them a sandwich and something to drink.  I can remember seeing one or two sitting on our back steps, eating and drinking.  They always said THANK YOU before leaving.

How many folks today say "Thank You", I'm Sorry, Excuse Me?"

And the BREAKING NEWS on the TV, or in the newspaper, or on the radio, just brings home the message - it doesn't have to be right, it just has to be FIRST.

Have a good day.  My driveway is just icy enough I am not comfortable with leaving the house today.  It is steep.  I can get down mostly, like skiing.  But coming up is another matter.  So will not be going out today.  May call later and cancel tomorrow's photography class, as I don't want anyone coming up here to get hurt by falling on the ice.  Better to be safe than sorry. Folks living in town probably think I am a sissy or something, but our 3/10's of a mile twisting and turning and going straight up, is a real challenge in the winter.

So be careful, enjoy your day and God Bless.

FOOTNOTE and ........JANUARY 21 2012.......


Just wanted to add a footnote to yesterday's blog.  We found no dragons at the castle, but did find gargoyles - several of them in fact.  Thought you would like to know.

Also, even though the gates were closed to the castle, there was, what we called a dungeon for lack of a better word, across the road and down a few steps.  Picture time!  Tammie and Bobbie were down there right now, exploring, taking pictures, laughing.  I followed and found Tammie in the dungeon, so got her picture.

Bobbie was down below on the street below, (good thing she wasn't down below on the street above) and decided to come up and have her picture taken in the dungeon also.  Just as she started up, here comes a police car, cruising very slowly, giving us the once over.

We were at the top on the upper road lickity-split (another one I learned from my parents), in the two vehicles and on our way.  We had planned to have lunch in Berkeley Springs, but as the Maryland state line was just a short distance decided to go there instead - out of Berkeley Springs police area.  Found a great restaurant in Hancock Maryland.

Bobbie and Tim have decided that traveling with me is an adventure, are planning our next trip together.  How many great-grandmothers do you know that get run off by the police?  And the grandkids love every minute of it.

As you can see, my life is never dull.  Boredom - what is that?  Laughter - all the time.  What more could anyone ask for.

Now, back to the real world.  Feeding the outdoor cats this morning was quite a hazardous adventure.  Snow, topped with ice topped with snow.  As I walked on the patio it felt as if you were breaking through ice on a body of water.

You took a step, crunch, crack, break, you foot hit the snow beneath the ice.  A really erie feeling.  Needless to say Jerry and I cancelled our appointment this morning to start looking at having custom made cabinets for our kitchen.

He informed me there was no way he was driving to 84 today.  I had to agree.  Figured if we got stuck, I would be the one pushing.  so agreeing was a no-brainer.

It is just a pure nasty, gray, cold, icy, yucky day out there and I will just stay in where it is warm and dry, and possibly continue reading a new book I just started.  Also complete some of the festival applications sitting on my desk that need to be taken care of. And deciding if I want to sign up for the 5 day bus trip to Macon Georgia in March.  By then I will probably be more than ready to go on a new adventure.  

So in closing, if you don't have to go out today, DON'T.  If you do, be careful, stay safe and God Bless.

DUNGEONS 'N DRAGONS 'N MOATS 'N STUFF.....JANUARY 20 2012.......


Sounds like something out of a horror movie doesn't it.  Seems when you think of a castle you think of all of the above.  They just go together, like peanut butter and jelly.

Today will talk about American Castles.  I will start with the newest one I have photographed - Berkeley Springs Castle.

This castle was built between 1885 and 1891 by a Colonel Samuel Taylor Suite. Colonel Suite fought in the Civil War and when he was 46 years of age he met and fell in love with Rosa Pelham, the 17 year old daughter of Congressman Charles Pelham of Alabama.

Upon his proposal of marriage she turned him down.  Upon meeting 5 years later, he again proposed and she accepted.  He promised to build her a castle.  The castle was built in the town of Bath, the official name of Berkeley Springs.  Colonel Suite never saw his castle completed, he died just before the project was finished.   His will stipulated Rosa had to complete the castle to inherit his fortune, and so she did.

Rosa went wild, hosting sunset to sunrise parties, renting entire trains to bring guests to Bath, and because of her lavish spending by the time she was 50 the money was gone and in 1909 the castle was sold.

At the present time Andrew Gosline owns the castle, and has brought the castle back to the glamour of Rosa's time.  The gardens are restored, and furnished with period furniture.

The only down-side to the story is that the castle is not open for public touring.  It can be rented - at a price tag of $1000.00 - for 4 hours, for weddings, fund-raisers and private parties. 

Does anyone out there want to have a very elaborate 4 hours?  If we had 100 people it would only cost each one of us $10.00.  For 50 people it would be $20.00.  

This is just one of 7 castle I have photographed recently in the United States.  Following are the six others:



Lyndhurst Castle New York State





Bannerman's Castle New York State




Gillette Castle Connecticut




At Boldlt Castle 1000 Islands New York




Mac-O-Chee Castle Ohio



Montezuma's Castle Arizona

As you can see, we have our share of castles, just that I have found.  Everyone is different, but so far no moats, no dragons, and no dungeons that I have located.  Guess I'll just have to keep looking.

In the meantime if you find any of the above, let me know.  Enjoy the snow and God Bless.

KIT'n'KABOODLE.....JANUARY 19 2012.....


No, I haven't lost it.  No, I am still sane.  How many of you out there have heard that expression?  How many of you know what it means?  It belongs in the "Older Than Dirt" category. 

My parents used to say "Kit'n'Kaboodle" when they meant - the whole 9 yards, everybody, everything, anytime it was more than one it was kit'n'kaboodle.   Don't know what just one was, maybe just "kit"?  Does that make two of us "kaboodle", "kaboodles"?

Now just how did I get onto this subject.  Darned if I know.  Was just sitting here looking at the computer and voila!  Kit'n'Kaboodle popped into my head.  Why - don't know.  Where-from - don't know.  Just did.  Would that be a senior moment, or a juvenile moment? Or just another symptom of "nuttier than a fruitcake"moment, and I don't know where that originated either. 

Just keep on hangin' 'round with me and you will get an education you won't find anywhere else, thank goodness. 

 If you could look into my head this is probably what you would see.  Only a nuttier-than-a-fruitcake person would end up with a photograph like this.  Now, complete "U" turn.

Am getting ready for my first photography class of the year.  Yes I teach photography.  In my spare time, whatever that is.  I have been told my classes are fun, and that is what it is all about.

My classes run 2 days, approximately 7-10 days apart.  I don't teach technical.  The camera knows technical.  I teach how to tell the camera what to do to get that one special shot.  (My camera's brain was probably spinning with the above picture).

The first part of the day is discussion and answering questions.  The second part of that day is photo-shooting, usually involving outside, inside, and portrait work.  Sounds hard.  Not so.  I try to teach little tricks that enable the students to get better pictures.

At the completion of the shoot I take the memory cards home with me.  For the next week I copy the pics to my computer, create a CD for each student, and then edit the pictures.

The second day of class everyone comes to my home and we do one CD at a time, showing the pictures, just as they took them, then going on to the same pictures after editing.  I think we laugh more than anything. 

I don't advertise that I do classes - it comes from word of mouth - because I have very little free time.  To conduct a class I need at least 4 and no more than 10. 

And so first thing Monday morning I expect between 4-6 gung-ho students, ready for the experience of a life time.  Little do they know what they are getting in to.  

Yes, I do charge.  No I do not charge a lot.  Just enough to cover costs, and not enough to discourage want-to-be students.

As with all my photography and writing, I do it because I love it, I do not do it to make a living.  I want everything I do to be affordable to the common ordinary person, just like me.  That s pretty scary isn't it?  I wonder when the last time was that I was considered ordinary.  I can't remember back that far.

So will sign off for now, and start my pre-class prep.  Enjoy your day, try to stay warm, and God Bless.

RUNNING LATE - AGAIN!...JANUARY 18 2012....


Today I will talk about our day trip while visiting the kids in Kearneysville WV.

Our first stop was Shepherdstown WV.   Specifically to see the old mill.  And old it is.  Pre-Revolutionary War old.  Quite a piece of our history.

The downside to this is that there is very little history that I have been able to track down.

This is the mill from the front.  Quite a beautiful old building.  This mill is located in Shepherdstown WV on Town Run, a stream of water on it's way to the Potomac River.  It was the water from this stream that propelled the mill wheel, which in turn propelled the mill stones, which in turn ground the flour and corn meal.

The mill was built in 1738 - you can see the date on this end of the mill - only 118 years after the landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620.  It is old.  And built by hand.  Still standing today.  What does that say about today's structures?

The next picture I am going to show is from the side-street, looking through the underbrush.  If it were summer, and the leaves were on the trees, you would not be able to see this end.  Look closely, you will see the remains of the mill wheel, which was 40 feet in diameter, the largest recorded mill-wheel.

The mill was built by Thomas Shepherd Sr. as a two story structure with a smaller overshot wheel.  The present 40 foot diameter wheel was built in 1894.  The third story of the building was added in the late 19th century.

After leaving Shepherdstown we traveled on north on Route 9 until we came to the following Mail Pouch Barn.  This is the only MPB left in this three-county area of West Virginia.

From there we traveled on to Berkeley Springs and the Castle.  That will be a story for another day.  There is a lot of history connected to the castle.

We had such a good day that we are planning another longer photo shoot, wherein we will visit Washington DC and all that stuff.  As they are both Army and stationed in the area, they know where to go, how to get there, all the good stuff that makes a photo-shoot really fun.  

Every morning when I get up there is always something to look forward to, sometimes so many things I wonder how it will all come to be, but the planning is one of the best parts.

So get up in the mornings looking ahead, making a plan, even if you don't follow through, it is fun to do the planning, and God Bless. 

RUNNING LATE and OLDER THAN DIRT...JANUARY 17 2012....


Sorry I'm running late today.  Had an early morning eye appointment - annual checkup - as my eyes haven't changed since cataract surgery 5 years ago.  Everything is the same, but got a new RX because I want new frames.  Been wearing these same old, plain, granny-type glasses for 5 years.  Since I am getting younger I wanted something younger.  Will have them in 2 weeks or less.  Can hardly wait.  Sure doesn't take much to get me excited, does it?

Came home, ate lunch, sat down at the computer, pics aren't edited yet, what to talk about besides new glasses.  So decided to check e-mails first.  Now have something to talk about sent to me by my sister Ruth.  Perfect, especially since I am replacing my granny glasses.

The title of the e-mail was OLDER THAN DIRT.

How many do you remember?Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals..

Older Than Dirt Quiz :
Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about
Ratings at the bottom.

1.Candy cigarettes
2.Coffee shops with tableside juke boxes
3.Home milk delivery in glass bottles
4. Party lines on the telephone
5.Newsreels before the movie
6.TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (there were only 3 channels [if you were fortunate])
7.Peashooters
8. Howdy Doody
9. 45 RPM records
10.Hi-fi's
11. Metal ice trays with lever
12. Blue flashbulb
13.Cork popguns
14. Studebakers
15. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-3 = You're still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered11-15 =You're older than dirt!

I wonder how old older than dirt is?  I guess I fall into that category, so it just reinforces my thought process that I am due for younger, sexy-looking eye glasses.

After you are done rolling around on the floor, laughing until you hurt, can't get up scenario, count your blessings and God Bless.

FROM PLANNING TO A MEMORY....JANUARY 16 2012.....

That is how fast things can happen.  Had been planing our Kearneysville weekend since December.  Now it is just a memory - and a great one at that.

When we left Saturday morning it was bitter cold, snowing, the roads were wet, slushy, salty, nasty.  By the time we crossed into Maryland (we left Pa, traveled across WV, drove a little in MD, then back to WV) the roads were dry, the sun was shining, but it was still cold, but not as much as before.  Mike's blue vehicle was ugly dirty gray/white, whatever from all the slush. You guessed it, after arriving the vehicle went to the car wash.

Am just going to it the highlights today.  Will have pics to share by tomorrow.  And what a great photo-op it was. 

Upon arrival and eating lunch we had our Christmas gift exchange.  Haleigh loved it, especially the wrapping paper and shopping bags.  She got toys and clothes, all sorts of bright colored clothes.  But her favorite - a gray dress with black polka dots.  From Grandma Tammie.

Haleigh had to have that dress on RIGHT NOW! and she wore it the rest of the day.  Even wore it when we went out for supper that evening.  I think she would have taken it to bed with her if she hadn't fallen asleep first.

Sunday morning Tim cooked breakfast for us, sausage gravy, biscuits and scrambled eggs.  Then about 11 we started out on our photo shoot.

We found all three things on the list.  Shepherd's Mill in Shepherdstown WV built in 1738, I believe, with the largest mill wheel on record.

Our next stop was the Mail Pouch barn I was hoping to find.  Bobbie loves taking pictures also, so she and I had a great time.  The final stop was Berkley Castle at Berkeley Springs WV.  What a delight.

The only down-side was the grounds were closed.  We really wanted to see all there was to see, but did  get some good pics.  Got chased away by the police, sorta, also.  Will  go into that later, and no we didn't get arrested.  But didn't stick around either.  Today is just the highlights.

Have already sent e-mail to the castle asking if they do tours.  I know they do weddings and parties, but we really really want to see the castle.  Especially as this is the first castle Tammie has ever seen. 

Arrived home about 6 p.m. - Bobbie and Tim reached their home earlier as they had less travel distance - and after dropping me off (not literally) Mike, as far as I know, went on to the Church to attend the meeting pertaining to their mission trip to Joplin Missouri in April.

Needless to say, I slept in this morning, do have my pics downloaded, and will spend a big part of the day editing.

Memories, all good.  Family, all good.  Sunday was a perfect day for picture taking in the winter, no snow down there, but blue skies, white clouds and sunshine.  A day made just for us.

So will close for now.  Hope your weekend was as good as mine was, enjoy the cold weather and God Bless.

FRIDAY THE 13th ....JANUARY
13 2012......


And what a day it is starting out to be.  As of right now it is 16 degrees, wind blowing like crazy, snow blowing like crazy, cold as the devil, which has to be pretty cold.  Just a plain nasty day.

When I went out to feed the cats I thought they, and I, were going to blow away.  Luckily I have a shelter on the patio just for the cats to get in out of the weather when they are eating.  Doesn't keep them from getting cold, but keeps them from blowing away.

Even Coco, who is my big fuzzy bear of a dog and loves being outside, doesn't want to stay out today.  Can't say as I blame him.  I don't want to stay out either.

Guess Jerry will have to get the paper and mail later today, I'm not even going to do that.  And, no, I don't walk to the mailbox, I drive.  Right.

If I walked it would be all down-hill, which is not bad, unless it is hot, cold, windy, icy, rainy, snowy, etc. etc.  Coming back up is another story in itself.  Won't go into that today.  Just going to stay in, and let Jerry do whatever.

Needless to say our paper and mail boxes are not just at the end of the walk from the house to the street, it is almost 1/2 a mile from the house to the boxes.  And you haven't even reached the street yet.  Or Road.  Or whatever.

Am I complaining?  NO!!  I love it up here, but like everything else there are down-sides, and getting the mail is one of the down-sides.  All the good stuff far outweighs the bad stuff. 

And so I can sit here in my nice warm house, and watch the wind go by, and the snow go by, what a wonderful world.

I will be off-line until Monday (hopefully, if we are not snowed in, in the mountains of West Virginia) as we leave first thing tomorrow morning to go to Kearneysville and visit the kids.

Jerry gets the privilege of feeding my cats while I am gone.  He grumbles.  He complains.  He calls them stupid cats.  He tells them to run away from home.  But he has never failed to see that they have food and water.  Guess he is all hot air.  Don't tell him I said that.

And so, hopefully it will be safe fun-filled weekend, we will arrive home safely on Sunday, and, if I am lucky, will have a few new pictures.

Stay warm, stay safe, and God Bless.

A POINT IN TIME....JANUARY 12 2012.......


Have you ever gotten up one morning and for just a second or two wondered how you got here, that particular point in time?

That was me this morning.  I was brain-dead as far as writing a blog is concerned.  I started frantically going thorough my mental filing cabinet, when the thought crossed my mind - How did I get to this point in my life.

Maybe you will be interested, maybe not.  I never in a million years as, I was growing up, thought  that I would have written and had published 5 books, along with several short stories complete with photographs published in such magazines as West Virginia and Country.

As a young wife being transplanted from the "huge" city of Martins Ferry, Ohio, to the middle of no-where outside of a little dot named West Alexander Pa., life changed completely.

I was young, had three children, a stay-at-home Mom.  I read a lot.  My kids grew up reading a lot.  Somewhere along the line I got this notion that I should try writing something.  After all I was fairly intelligent, and besides that I always liked trying something new just to prove I could do it.

I started in January of 1970 writing a journal of life in the country.  Each chapter was a month (chapter 1 January, chapter 2 February) get the drift.  As I said it was a journal of triumphs and failures, laughter and sadness, good times and hard times.

Much to my eternal surprise, and a million letters later, a publisher picked up my manuscript and BITS and PIECES became a reality.  The book sold well in the tri-state area for 2-3 years then died a quiet death.

I had proven that I could write something and someone would publish it.  Mission accomplished.

Fast forward.  In 1974 my marriage fell apart, I became a single working Mom raising 3 kids. 

In 1976 I was blessed with a new husband and 2 great step children.  My kids and his kids became OUR kids.  They still are. We were married for 30 years before Tom's passing in October of 2006.

What has this to do with today?   Back-pedaling a again. Our youngest , Rebecca, had always wanted to write.  By then she was married and had her first child.  She wrote a couple of books, one manuscript she discarded, one she tried to get published.  Even had an agent, time went by, nothing.

To bring in extra income she began editing small and large manuscripts for other want-to-be authors.  One of them after numerous rejections suggest she start publishing. Hence the birth of Double Edge Press.

Fast forward again.  In 2005 she informed me that she wanted to re-release BITS and PIECES, but there was a catch.  I had to do a follow-up journal.  Same format.  Just up-dated.

And so in January of 2006 I started my new journal entitled 36 YEARS LATER.  Why this title?  Because it was exactly 36 years after writing BITS and PIECES.

And so here I am today.  For every door that closed, a new door opened.  After the publication of 36 YEARS LATER Rebecca wanted to do a photography book.  We ended up doing a three volume set IF ONLY I COULD TALK. 

Upon completion of these (In January 2011) is when I began blogging as I love to tell a story.

 So here I stand (actually I am sitting right now) many many years later proving that anyone, and I do mean anyone, who has a dream, or an idea, with a little determination, hard work, supportive family and friends can see it through. Let your light shine through.  

Where do you think all the inventions, creations, writings, etc., etc., came from.  Nothing happens just by chance.  You are given a brain, you get ideas,  you take a leap of faith and follow through.

Everyone on this earth has a talent, if nothing more than knowing how to properly fold clothes, or cook a great meal, or listen when someone needs to talk.  You get the drift.  You have the option of pursuing this talent, or letting it lay dormant.  Laying dormant is the easy way.  Pursuing is the hard way.

And so many words later I will close for today.  Be prepared - there is snow in the forecast.  In the meantime, enjoy your day and God Bless.  

NON-SURPRISES and SURPRISES.....JANUARY 11 2012....


First - the non-surprise.  My last two grand kids that are still in high school were both on the honor roll -- again.  This has been very consistent, grade period after grade period.  Congrats to both of them!

Now for the surprises.  Maybe some won't consider these as surprises, but I do.  For some unknown reason.  Guess it is just the way my mind works.  That is, if I have a mind.  There are some out there that would question that.

But back to the gist .. whatever gist is.  Just something I heard sometime in some sort of context or another, and thought, I would have to try that on for size sometime.  So here we are.  Gist. 

The dictionary describes gist as:  substance, essence or significance. Hope this helps you, doesn't help me, but then, according to family, I am beyond help. 

I received two new applications for art shows yesterday.  These are shows I have never participated in, hadn't really thought about them, and they are both requesting that I apply.

Now that means one of two things - one, they absolutely love my work, or two, they are desperate for new and/or more vendors.  I like the first idea best, but figure is is really number two.

Russ and I are supposed to get together this week re festivals and applications, and we will decide together what we are and are not going to do, or at least apply for, and we only apply because we are hoping to get juried in. 

I start a new folder in my picture file every January, called JURYING PICTURES.  Then I go through my work, choosing 5 - 6 of, what I think, are the best of my new work.  Why do I have a JP file?  Because without it, I would probably send the same pics for jurying every year, and they definitely DO NOT LIKE THAT.

The jurors want to see new stuff every year.  So I have to have new stuff to submit.  To keep them happy.  And if selected it keeps me happy.

Sometimes the jurors change from year to year, sometimes not.  I have no way of knowing, hence the new stuff.  So hopefully after our get-together Russ and I will have some sort of game plan in mind.  Hope he remembers the game plan, because my remembering is trying to remember something I forgot, and when I do remember it, I wonder why.

At least, to date, I have remembered to write my blog before submitting it, and remember to submit when finished. Sometimes the computer argues with me, but I usually succeed, sometime during the day.

And so with all thie profound (dictionary: scholarly, fathomless, bottomless - I prefer the scholarly) information at your fingertips I will leave you to try to figure out just exactly what it is I am trying to say today. 

This is one of my bottomless - fathomless new pictures.  See, I am doing exactly what the dictionary says - does that mean I am scholarly for real?


Good luck and God Bless.

I GOT A NEW TOY.....JANUARY 10 2012.........

For Christmas, that is.  One one of my presents was a digital picture frame.  I wanted one for the business, now I have one for the business.

The last couple of years I have thought about getting one to use at the festivals .. I could have an on-going slide show of my current work.  Sounded like a good idea, but never quite got around to getting said frame.

So one of my Santas took pity on me, and voila, I have a digital picture frame.  Yesterday I bought a USB Flash Drive (this one takes flash drives, hooray!) and now have to decide what pictures I am going to down load for starters.

 







Hopefully down the road I will purchase a couple more flash drives, so they can be interchangeable during the day, or whatever.  The above are a couple of my newest ones.

Now if I could just find: 1. A tent that puts itself up, stakes itself down, and attaches it own sides.

2. Display panels that can load and unload themselves, transport themselves to their proper location, and set themselves up.

3.  Display tables that can accomplish the same thing.

4.  Storage bins - ditto.

If these four little things came to pass, why I could do festivals for the next 50 years!  But I am not holding my breath. 

However I have the digital picture frame.  That is a start. Who knows?

Anyone want to sign on as an over-worked under-paid helper.  Am taking applications.

On another note, Russ should be coming down either tomorrow afternoon, or Thursday afternoon after school (he is an art teacher), and we will get some of his festival applications taken care, get the zapplications (all done by computer) completed and in, and take a few new pictures of his most recent work to put on CD's for jurying. 

No one realizes just how much work goes in to just applying for one show, let alone 15 or so.  And that is the easy part.

But we love what we do, don't mind the work as the pluses much outweigh the minuses. 

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were so blessed that in addition to doing what needs to be done, could find something they love to do to make it all worth while?  What a great world it would be then!

So guess I will close out for today.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Just be glad you don't live in Alaska where one town is buried beneath 20 feet (yes FEET) of snow, and another buried in ice, and more storms approaching.  We absolutely positively have nothing to complain about.  So enjoy and God Bless.