Cemetary...again!

I came across this statue in a cemetary while waiting for my pharmacy order. The first picture I took of just the statue:

Then I tried cloning tool so that just the cross was left with the hand clutching it.

I love cemetaries because they are quiet and beautiful and are places to remember or at least, to imagine the love and lives of those who have gone before us. Today's trip reminded me of a poem from a friend of mine:

Don't Wait- Give Love Now ... Author unknown

I would rather have one small rose

From the garden of a friend

Than to have the choicest flowers

When my stay on Earth must end.

I would rather have one pleasant word

In kindness said to me

Than flattery when my heart is still

And my life on Earth has ceased to be.

I would rather have a loving smile

From friends I know are true

Than tears shed round my casket

When this world I've bid Adieu.

Bring me all your flowers today

Whether pink, white or red:

I'd rather have one blossom now

Than a truckload when I'm dead.

Twilight swamp and Old farm stuff

Last night just before sunset, I took this picture. Think I'm getting the hang of reflections:

Today after church, I spent time with Breanna, Jonny's fiance, and my mom. We walked around the old farmhouse looking for pictures while my stepfather, John, napped inside before leaving for work. It was a great time, just talking and laughing and looking around for some good ideas. I love that there is beauty in disarray and old farmhouses are great places to find that beauty!

A good day!

Today was my last day of teaching on Saturdays for about 2 months! No more Saturday classes for a while...yippeee! I like it but it's also nice to have a full weekend to myself! Mom came with me today and got some shopping done while I taught. Here are some basic pictures from that. Great day with lunch and shopping and girl time...I'm the luckiest daughter in the whole wide world. Do all children think their mothers are so loving and so much fun to be around?

Happy Birthday Sonja

My cousin Sonja turned 24 years old today which meant another get together with priceless memories and fun.

Wisdom

My grandfather runs a small but hearty printing business from his home using old fashioned printing presses. They are beautiful antiques that he is very talented at using. When I started thinking about the assignment as being wisdom, I immediately thought of these old presses. When printing presses were first invented, the written word suddenly became available in ways it had not been before. Wisdom, in a way, began to be distributed widely and the skill of reading became a precious one. Printing presses still churn out the written word everyday, but wisdom now comes not in what is written, but in what we choose to read and expose ourselves to. These old knobs, rollers, and printing tools remind me that wisdom is a gift that we gain as we live through experiences, by what we let into ourselves, and by what we give back of ourselves!

P/S Wisdom is also knowing when to take a well deserved break. Kitty Kit (or Jack as I secretly call him) snoozes as I shoot away:)

On the record...literally

Playing with the records, I took a separate picture of each, concentrating on songs with catchy words. Then, I came up with a message by putting some of the words together in a collage format. I used Photoscape for this since it was the only program I knew how to do a collage in. I also added the antique filter I love so much. These words accurately describe how I'm feeling about love right now. Hope you like the picture.

No idea what to take a picture of!

A friend is selling two big boxes of records and wanted me to take some basic photos of them. I couldn't think of what to take pictures of today, so I decided to get creative with one of the records. I added a noise filter to the first one and the second one, I moved the camera while shooting, changed it to sepia tone and increased the contrast. The sepia one keeps uploading rotated even though it really isn't rotated that way...I CAN'T GET IT TO SHOW UP NORMAL!!! Oh well! They are not great, but I'm feeling overwhelmed today so this is as good as it gets!