Thursday, July 24, 2014

Kayden

 
 
Just when I was getting back into blogging,
my little unborn grandson passed away
and I had to take a break.
 
The poor baby had problems which would have made
life outside his mother's womb very difficult
 
but it still broke our hearts
We hope he's in a good place now.
 
Kayden, you'll always be in our hearts
and we will always wonder what could have been.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Introducing a new blogger to visit!

Recently I reconnected with an old friend from elementary school, Lisa.
This is she and I at a Girl Guide Winter Camp.
 
 
 
We lost touch when I moved across the country when I was 12
but over the last few months I realized that she is a lot like me in many ways
and suggested that maybe she would like blogging.
 
She has started a new blog here:
and I urge you all to check her out and show some blog support.
I've met some great people blogging and I'm sure she will too.
 
I told her if she builds it you will come,
so here's to Lisa and her new blog. 

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Somewhat better

 
I took Rick's words to heart and printed out those 228 pages into a booklet form
and studied up about focusing.
 
I think I have the beginnings of knowledge of how to do it when the camera doesn't want to
(and no, camera, you can't "just say no")


 
So now what I need to do is practice, practice, practice until I can do it in my sleep and in my waking state without needing to look it up.
 
As I look at it now though I see that I was in a little too close and cut too much off the background.  I think that's what my friend Lisa's suggestion about wide angle meant as I read up on that,
seems it does not mean what I thought it meant.  I thought it just meant a wider picture, with more in the sides, but I think it has to do more with depth of the picture?  Correct me if I'm wrong please.
 
 I couldn't find it in the manual....I think the
index leaves a lot to be desired because I know I zacksidnetally saw it show up as an option as
I looked through the lens one time....it has to be there somewhere.
 
That will be my next learning goal.
 
Thanks for the pointers and keep them coming.


Saturday, June 28, 2014

the more things change the more they stay the same

 
I walked by here this afternoon, sans camera, and thought what a beautiful picture this would make
I wasn't exactly sans camera, I did have my cell phone but it didn't do it justice.
 
unfortunately, neither did my camera camera, as you can see.  I did edit them with the "Orton" setting in Picmonkey so they are presentable, but not what I saw through the lenses of my eyes.
 
 
So I thought I'd change angles but try as I might, I could not get the focus onto the flowers, it kept going onto the logs behind.  There's a setting on my camera, called "ISO" that I think is supposed to take care of the problem, and let you pick the area you want to focus on, but it
JUST WON"T WORK!!
 
 
When I look back to starting this blog five years ago, I had that problem then,
and now with a newer camera that was won as a prize, which I really don't like because I can't figure it out, I still have the same problem. 
 
This camera comes with a manual, 200 and some odd pages, on a CD.  What am I supposed to do, carry my laptop around with me whenever I want to take pictures so that I can access the manual?  I keep meaning to print it out but haven't gotten around to it.  Writing to the company (Sony) for a manual produced no results, they don't print them.
 
When I finally get my driver's license back in a few weeks, after two and a half years (don't ask) I am going to sign up for the next photography class/club that I can find, which may only happen a few times a year in my small town.  And if I still can't figure it out, that's it, I'm getting a new camera. 
 


Finally, a subject that never fails me, something I can count on to always be there for me...
my Monty dog.



Thursday, June 26, 2014

Technology funny bones

 
My son changes his Facebook profile like he changes his socks
in his words "I just keep taking better pictures of myself."
 
 
We both got new phones last week
I requested the simplest phone I could get that takes good pictures.
They sold me the Sony Xperia M.
 
The reason we got new phones was that I hated my old one, which was finally paid off,
 I never liked it from day one
and Trevor lost his old one,
most likely he left it on his car as he drove off, as when he tried to phone it it was turned off,
a good indication that it was broken as he had a password on it where someone finding it
shouldn't be able to do anything to it. 
So his new one is the newest model of his old one,
 an HTC
 
Anyway, I asked him today if he ever installed that 'find my phone" app on his new one,
so while I was eating my breakfast, he was complaining about how
technologically complicated the app was. 
I suggested maybe the one installed on his (and my) phone would be easier. 
So after going through all the steps on the first one, he tried that one.
 
When he tried it out, the answer to where is my phone was:
"Your phone is in your hands."
 
I thought that was hilariously funny. 
Almost choked on my porridge and berries
Still chuckling over it. 
 
Just now he popped his head in my office and said
"Wait a minute, if I lost my phone, how would I ask my phone where it was?"
 
Good question. 
 
I suppose there's a technologically smart answer, like accessing it from your
computer or another phone or something.
 
I'm still laughing over "your phone is in your hands"
 
Duh!!! 
 


Saturday, May 17, 2014

Mother's Day at Mom's


 
It's been a long time since I was with my mom on Mother's Day
25 years to be exact
Ever since I moved "up north"
 
Not that we haven't seen each other of course,
just not on Mother's Day
It has also been four years since I have been down to "the coast"
Again, not that I haven't seen her, just, due to circumstances, I haven't been down there
Gerry has, but he goes every February for his mom's birthday (she just turned 90)
and being that we live where we do,
somebody needs to be here in the winter, literally to keep the home fires burning
we only have wood heat here and things would quickly freeze at -30 C
without that wood stove burning 24/7.
 
So, we had a nice day.
We offered to take her out for breakfast/brunch
but she said what she would really like is for me to make a big breakfast
and us all to sit down together
"like you do at Christmas"
so, sausages, eggs, toast and hashbrowns it was
Yummy.
 
Then she had a list of yard work for us to do.
Tree trimming for the guys
(luckily I found a hedge trimmer in the shed that she didn't know she had...
and bonus....it worked!)
and for me putting new spool on her weedeater and showing her how to use it
Trevor wanted me to find my old skateboard from when I was a teenager, he wanted to see what it was like
Mom was sure she still had it, that old wooden board that at one time I painted blue and put glittery heart stickers all over, but despite turning the shed and the storage basement area upside, down,
I couldn't find it.
 
 
then, after the chores were done (boy, I love the recycling options they have, worth writing a post about that is)
we went with the four of us to visit Gerry's mother
visited with her for the afternoon where Gerry's daughter came to pick up Trevor
and take him to her place for the night.
 
 
Then home again to another me-cooked meal
and a relaxing evening.
 
The only thing missing was that Jeremy was far away in Alberta
but I did talk to him anyway
Baby is doing better and things are looking up in that area,
so next Mother's Day, I may be a grandma!


Sunday, May 4, 2014

prayer call


 
This is my grandson, to be named Kayden, at 16 weeks gestation.
He is now 26 weeks gestation and not doing well.
His mother has a heart condition and he has inherited it as well
and is not growing and has a slow heart beat.
The outlook is not positive.
 
For me to pray would be hypocritical but
I am being desperate and asking for prayers
in the possibility that they may do some good, not wanting to rule anything out.
 
All I want is what's best for my son. 
This baby was unplanned for but his parents decided to live with
the huge change this would bring to their young lives
and do their best for this child.
 
I don't know what's best for any of them,
my son, his girlfriend or the baby
but what I want most is what's best for my son, whatever that may be.
He's the one I love and my heart aches for him.
I wish he was here but he's not, living in another province.
 
Jeremy, I love you.
 
 
 
 
 


Saturday, May 3, 2014

If today stood still.......


 
says mom to me
"are you all caught up with your scrapbooking"
says me to mom
'no, not yet, getting there."
 
The fact is, the only way I'd ever catch up with my scrapbooking is if
time stood still
 
Who doesn't wish for that every now and then?
Especially on Saturdays, my day off.
 
Any yes, that is snow outside, it was white out when I got up this morning
and it's still snowing.
Two days ago it was 25°C (77°F to the Yanks)
 but that is not something I am going to concentrate on today!!
Gonna make like an ostrich and stick my head in the ground on that one.
 
As I just keep scrappin'.


Monday, April 28, 2014

New....


 
New flag for the upcoming summer
(note to self: next year at this time of year, when I replace the flag,
make sure I haven't put it on upside down before I lift the heavy pole
and step by step it into it's holder)
 
*
New blog outlook
(can't figure out how to stretch my header photo out...will have to work on that)
 
*
 
New resolve
(am working on this 365 day project for my scrapbook, though not every day
and decided a lot of those photos are good blog posts too,
plus, a lot of times facebook is just not the forum for rambling)
 
*
New diet.  Again.  Feeling very good and energetic and not hungry at the end of day 3).
 
*
 
New season
Let's hope spring is finally here.
Sunny and warm today, holding my breath though.
 
*
 
Hopefully, I'll be back soon and ready to check out some of my blogmates that I have missed.


Sunday, January 5, 2014

missing you

 

 
dear blog.....i miss you
i will come back to you
hopefully sooner rather than later
 
and between now and then
'till I see you again
i'll be missing you
 
love me