Purple

As you may have guessed from seeing corn in the background of my pictures, I live on a farm.  I was feeling kind of frustrated and a little overwhelmed the other day, and being that fresh air does the soul good, I figured I'd take a little walk around my yard and up my road to help clear my head.  I felt so much better when I got back in.

1.  I picked myself a few flowers and weeds to put in a tiny antique vase on my kitchen counter.
2.  My farty, annoying, and always loving dog, Kona.
3.  Chris' grandma let me take her picture.  "Good," she said, when I told her I wouldn't get her face. / One of the many butterflies enjoying nectar on my butterfly bush.
4.  Flojo can't come out on walks, so she watches patiently at the window (and this always makes me kind of sad since we do everything else together).
5.  Where the kind of gravel road turns to complete gravel road.
6.  More of my weed bouquet.
7.  Another butterfly, and Kona's favorite position on the front porch.

When you're feeling overwhelmed or bummed out, what helps you clear your head?

from film with love. and then a rant.

the other week i posted some black and white film pictures that i'd scanned in, but since i couldn't decide on just four or five, i knew i'd need to split them up so as not to give you photo overload! also, things have been, well, crazy to say the least, so i haven't had a spare minute to look at any other pictures or even think of what else i should blog about.

i love the look of black and white pictures, but if i'm being completely honest, i'm not a huge fan of using black and white film. i guess if i'm going to use film, i want to see the soft colors, the variation in colors from light leaks, etc. oh, and it probably goes without saying, black and white is quite a bit more expensive to have developed that color film is!

i feel like i need to just get things off my chest now. i know that what's going on in my life has no bearing on many of the readers, but since a blog is a journal of sorts, it's a good place to just spill, right?

first, i'm still upset about helen passing away. about two hours after her funeral was over we had to get to a wedding rehearsal and it was difficult to hold it all together when i really just wanted to cry. i feel like so much has been going on lately that chris and i haven't been able to properly mourn. it saddens me to think that we'll no longer have a conversation about mockingbirds (her telling me they're too cross, me telling her she's wrong and they're amazing), her telling me she knew it was me before she saw me because of the sound of my walk, giving her a hair cut even though i told her i was too nervous to do it, and so many other things.

second, chris and i went to court this morning hoping to have a final judgement on the tens of thousands of dollars of backpay chris's former employer withheld. i should say i was surprised to find that wayne and his lawyer made a calculated move to file for bankruptcy on friday, but i guess i'm not. why is it that people with no moral compass always seem to get by and screw everyone else? what in the world could chris and i have done that was so bad we deserve this? try as i might, i cannot understand the workings of a corrupt mind. i want to choke wayne until he begs me to stop, i want to harass him until his only option is to pay up and skip town, i want to make him face some sort of consequence for his impropriety, but unfortunately i can't. several years ago when chris and i were on the way home from one of his motocross races, we were driving through a backwoods town in west virginia when we saw a sign that read, "bobby ray is a liar, a cheat and a thief." i laughed at the time, but now i wouldn't mind making my own to drive into the ground in front of his office that reads, "wayne hardison is a liar, a thief and a coward. do not trust this man." but my conscience stops me. i don't bring religion into my blog as i don't know others beliefs, and i've never liked those that push things on you, but to try and keep my anger and appetite for vengeance in check, i keep repeating to myself, "dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, said the Lord." i sure hope vengeance will be served.

now i guess the ranting is over. i'm still going to be fuming mad for who knows how long, but i plan to eat a big philly cheesesteak dripping with pepper juice and lay on the sofa watching school of rock so at least i'll get some joy out of the day. i hope you had a good weekend!

an expensive hobby: film.

for the longest time i fought digital photography with every bit of strength i had. then, i caved. i really enjoyed the ease of a digital camera, and i'm ashamed to admit, i turned my back on film for some time. but the good news is, it's back to stay! i've accumulated quite a collection of rolls just waiting to be developed, and to be honest, i'm not even sure what's on them, so it'll be like a little present when i get them developed! i have to pace myself, though. i got four rolls developed last friday, which was a bit of a splurge, but i decided that i could justify developing one per week. anyway, here are a few of the pictures i got back...

do you still use film? what are your favorite cameras? in a land of no money and endless rainbows, i'd have a collection of half frame cameras, a diana mini (yes, i'm the last person on the planet not to have one) and all the free film developing i could ask for. but since stores like to be paid for their products and services, i'll keep saving my spare pennies to continue to grow my film camera collection!

so what are your plans for this weekend? tomorrow we're going to our friends' house to meet up with our other friend couple for what the other chris has dubbed, "mexican fun night." i'm sure it won't disappoint, and i'll try to take some pictures of the insanity that will surely ensue.

earth day (a day late) & fill in the blanks

I was so busy yesterday searching the very darkest corners of the internet trying to find the lowest price on a plane ticket that I neglected my blog. Sorry! So, even though the official earth day was yesterday, there's no rule saying I can't love it today!

images from weheartit.com.

Do you do anything "green" on a regular basis, or did you do anything special for Earth Day? I refuse to use disposable dishes (even if I'm at someone else's house), I only drive when it's absolutely necessary, and I recycle anything I can. I love our pretty planet, so I try to help out a little!

Now time for "fill in the blank friday." If you want to play along, you can link up on Lauren's blog!

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is "paradise city" by guns n' roses. I swear I was their number one fan before I even started school!

2. My first concert ever was sorry, I can't remember the band's name!

3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there: woods (my current favorite), bat for lashes, blondie, tv on the radio, menomena and you say party! we say die!

4. The best make-out/"boot knocking" song ever is uhh, yeah, i can't say that I've ever "knocked boots" to music!

5. The best concert I've ever been to was Bush.

6. A memorable musical moment for me was when my dad bought me my first cd (soundgarden) for my very first cd player!

7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is two of them. this one and this one.

bonding time

This is going to be the second post in a row about my pop, which could mean one of two things: he's famous, or you'll start getting tired of hearing (reading) me talk about him! Today we took a 13+ mile bike ride around the Blackwater Creek trails (if you're in or around Lynchburg, VA you should go). We had such a good time, and not that we aren't bonded enough already, but I enjoyed quality father/daughter time!

From the top: Pop with our bikes (okay, so that picture is pretty obvious), next is my pop and I on our first break, third is my pop on our first break; I told him that I was taking a picture of him looking like a professional! Last is one of the tunnels (I think it's more like a cave) we went through on our way back. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I don't think I could have asked for a better Sunday afternoon!

I had planned to show you pictures of my thrifting finds from my day with Micaela yesterday, but since I didn't get home until later when the sun was going down, I'll have to wait and take pictures tomorrow. I'm a little nuts about lighting.

Last, I have an important story to tell you. When I was at the grocery store on Friday, I was rushing through so I could hurry up and get home to bake Pop his birthday cake. I needed some orange juice (because Flojo drinks it all), so I saw a display of Tropicana O.J. - my regular brand - and I got it because it meant that I wouldn't have to walk to the usual spot and get it, thus saving me a minute. Yesterday afternoon I opened it up and noticed that it said "Trop50 orange juice beverage" and thought, "what the heck?" After I swallowed, I realized that mess wasn't orange juice at all! So I read the ingredients and realized that I didn't get real orange juice, I got some orange juice type low calorie drink. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit! So the moral of the story (aside from not buying Trop50) is... don't rush getting groceries!

little bits of nature

I've been wanting to make some little terrariums for a while now, but since it's been SO cold, I haven't really felt like going out searching for moss. A couple weeks ago, Chris and I went on a walk through the snow (the only time I really like walks when it's cold) and I found the most beautiful moss by the spring in the woods.

It's pretty tricky photographing these babies, but since you can't really tell, I used several different types of moss in varying heights and sizes for a little visual interest. I'm still not done as I have a few decorations I want to add, so once I do that I may have more pictures for you!

I was also thinking of doing a giveaway with one of these sometime soon. Is that something you'd be interested in?

Do you like to use natural elements from your yard (or somewhere near you) in your art or projects? How so? If you have pictures, I'd love to see!

more from the cemetery

Nothing new to tell, really, just more pictures to show. The kitty cat's name is Smokey, and the pond is across from the old train museum where Smokey hangs out (all within the Old City Cemetery). There were lots of frogs, and a sign says that two snakes live at the pond, but obviously I didn't see them or I wouldn't be alive to type this.

my wildlife adventure

No neighbors, no streetlights, no running water. Okay, so the last part is a joke, but I do live in the country, and anyone who makes the journey for the first time, or even a repeat visit, is sure to tell me that I'm "way out there." Living in the sticks does have its perks, though. I'm constantly surrounded by wildlife and have regular bird visitors that my city friends have never even seen before! After leaving for work yesterday, my husband called to tell me that there was a turtle in the road just up from our house. I put on my running shoes and did the hundred yard dash (1/8 mile dash, actually) to save my little friend! On the way there, I passed a snake skeleton (of which I'm not so fond) and was met by four goldfinches, two indigo buntings and a male hummingbird. My jog was nice, and the best part about it is I get to see that kind of beauty everyday! (Minus the snake skeleton).

the traveler

I don't know what it is about turtles, their slow speed, their cute feet or the fact that they carry their shelter with them, but I just love them. I don't love that their population is rapidly decreasing, due in part to being hit by cars. Whether it's a country road or a four lane highway, I'll run into the road like a maniac to save these little creatures from imminent danger. This little cutie decided to take a walk on the road this morning, and I'm glad I was there to stop her! She now has a new home on our 140 acre farm.