Keeping With The Times

living, learning, and keeping with the times

An early morning frog hunt . . .

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We had the most beautiful, magical summer weekend. The weather could not have been more perfect, it was 30C with no wind whatsoever. We spent hours on the lake – swimming, tubing, eating, and soaking up some sun.

This morning we had to have one last walk down to the lake before everyone had to leave. Frog sightings were on the agenda:

You can’t see him, but our guide is braving stinging nettles to rustle up a specimen . . .

we got one!

ribbitt . . .

I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are!

This is what I see

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It’s the time of year when all the leaves are new and everything is so green and fresh. As I was sitting at the table this morning having breakfast I was thinking how I just can’t believe how green and lush it is in our yard right now. It’s been raining lightly for two days and all the trees are loving it . . .

View from the kitchen table . . .
from the front door . . .
from the bedroom (sweet dreams). . .
from the sitting room/office . . .
and from the kitchen table again . . .

Then, in the fall everything is yellow and gold – it’s so stunning (but I shouldn’t be thinking about that right now or even mentioning it . . .)

Critter capture

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I spied this critter on our window so I was able to get upper and under photos. I used my new macro lens (Nikon 40mm fixed focal length with a maximum aperture of f/2.8). I didn’t do too bad – I like the first one with the bug reflected in the glass (twice). And check out those ears will ya!

 

Going to a greenhouse can make you crazy

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A few days ago I went to a nearby greenhouse to soak up the sights and sounds of a garden setting. This is one of my favourite things to do in the spring. I still have a month to go before I can put out any flower pots so this sort of bridges the gap.

It all felt quite dreamy . . .

I couldn’t seem to focus . . .

 

 

there were so many pretty flowers and I could hear the soft sounds of water running through the fountains . . . and it was warm, oh so warm . . .

 

did you know orange is the new power colour? of course you did . . .

 

everything from flowers, to paint, to clothing, to purses . . .

say whaaa? yes . . . this beautiful baby was in their shop . . . in the greenhouse . . . I still don’t know what came over me but I couldn’t walk away . . . I had to have it . . .

it gets worse, people . . . my orange power shopping didn’t stop with just a purse . . .

no, I had to have a scarf . . . I have a thing for scarves . . .

 

but these shoes sent me over the top . . . whenever am I going to have a chance to get shoes with an orange strip? to go with my orange purse? and my orange scarf?

No wait! one more thing . . .

I’m thinking maybe this could be my Mother’s Day present. But, I’m not my mother. . . (I just look like my mother).

Oh why do greenhouses have to carry merchandise like this? If I had wanted a purse I would have gone to the purse store. A purse was NOT on my radar. Especially an orange one. I’m in a quandary over what to wear with this pretty ensemble. I’m thinking a great pair of jeans and a khaki top.

The gardening can wait.

I’m a self-confessed digi scrapping addict . . .

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At Digital Scrapper, our kit this month is by Anna Aspnes. She’s a mega talent in the digi scrapping world. Anna makes ‘making art’ attainable for the masses.

Yesterday I was busy sewing some curtains but right in the middle of it all, I noticed the squirrels running around outside and chattering up a storm. My mind went to a photo I took last fall and almost like a zombie I walked to the computer and started creating . . . this is what I ended up with.

I am a self-confessed digi scrapper addict. I’ve been doing it for four years and the impulse is not waning . . . in fact it’s becoming stronger. I scour the galleries for inspiration and let me tell you there are some people out there that are absolutely brilliant.

One-of-Nature's-Masterpieces

When I started my blog I made the decision to not make it about scrapbooking. I don’t regret my decision since variety is the spice of life, right? And my blog forces me to concentrate on other aspects of my life.

I’ve been contemplating starting another blog just for scrapbooking, just to share my ‘stuff’, things I’ve learned, and to connect with other addicts. Oh, where oh where does it end? But I can’t get it out of my mind and if there is one thing I’ve learned in life, it is to listen to that voice in your head – you just never know where it will lead you!

Right now, I know it led me away from finishing up my curtains . . .

I’m OK

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So, since I aired my hair drama on Friday I’ve had some requests from people who want to see what happened.

Yes, I do have rooster tails. Yes, it is sticking out. And, yes, I am not used to having my ear showing. But it’s what I asked for. I did. I asked for it. And, Karlee, I will come back to you.

When I arrived home that fateful night and my hubby met me at the door he said ‘OH! I like that!’ . . .

Whaaaa? He never says anything about my hair. It really must have been looking bad before I went in. But, actually, I like it now. I feel lighter, maybe springier too. I’m over it.

Thank you for your kind and concerned comments everyone! I’m OK ;)

My Hairdresser Must Have Been on Something!!

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Meet Karlee, my hairdresser  (she’s the one wearing a low cut top ;) and moi, (the dumpy one with grey hair :)

hairdresser drama, Keeping With the Times

Karlee and Me

So here’s the story.

I’d been so busy that I hadn’t had my hair cut for far too long and it was flat and very drab looking. When I booked an appointment with my stylist Karlee, I couldn’t get in until 8:00 pm, and apparently she goes into overdrive at night. Argh.

It all started out fine, I really like her and trust her (mostly). But I could tell she was a bit more hyper than usual and that’s OK – she’s quite fun. Well, I made the suggestion that maybe we could change my style up a bit let’s cut one side shorter than the other side! you’ve seen those styles, right? And it wasn’t much of a change since my hair is mostly short anyway.

She was ALL for it. And so it began. My heart pounds to think of it.

Are other people as timid as I am when it comes to getting their hair cut? I swear I’d rather be at the dentist.

I’m going to use the razor tonight she says.

OK, she’s done that before. All the while she is joking around with the other stylist, talking about her ex, her friends, her cousins and how she loves to have a glass of wine (tee hee) but it sure makes work the next day hard . . . gulp.

Barb! how are ya doin?

Oh, fine I manage to squeak out as my hair is flying left, right, and centre.

I usually don’t get worried, but when I start to notice rooster tails well, that’s cause for concern. My heart started pounding and I’m thinking what am I going to do?

At that point she pulls out the texturing scissors … omg I’m feeling a bit green and manage to mutter uumm, Karlee I think it’s short enough. But inside I’m screaming PLEASE STOP!

Oh, not yet, miss Barbara . . . I am not finished with you she screams (or did I imagine that?)

Oh, the horror, I cannot go on . . .

to be continued . . .

Merry Christmas to me

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A few days ago after I dropped hubby off at the airport at 7:00am I drove back to our little near-by town and stopped for a coffee. Coffee is one of my favourite things. In fact I am sure I could not live without it. Well, not without a headache, anyway. I ordered my latte and while I was waiting I turned around and saw this cup. It had ‘French Roast’ written on it but it may as well have had ‘You Have to Have Me’. Starbucks French Roast coffee is MY coffee. How did they know that? I rationalized that this could would be an early Christmas present to myself. I love my coffee. I love French Roast coffee. I love Starbucks. I love my new cup.

French-Roast-copy

*No coffee beans were exchanged for this free and shameless endorsement of a coffee shop powerhouse.

The mushroom series, Part III

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The ink cap . . . so ephemeral that they appear, liquefy, and turn into black goo within a matter of hours . . .
just starting out
the characteristic shaggy mane in the mushroom’s early stages

These mushrooms were sprouting all over our yard and what a mess! They would emerge and very quickly (within a day) dissolve into black pools on the lawn. Yes, I did find them fascinating but cleaning them up before cutting the lawn was a bit, umm, challenging . . .

A potpourri of simple delights

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Early Saturday morning I packed up my camera in my backpack, put together a little snack and headed out the door. With a feeling of excitement I headed towards town and the BIG garage sale. What treasures might I find today? What new vase or vintage urn awaits?

My favourite ‘junque’ store was letting vendors use their parking lot for the day. I think it was a nice gesture on the store’s part because what the people in the parking lot were charging for their treasures was a fraction of what you would pay inside for a similar item! What FUN! I had all the time in the world and $80.00 in my pocket!

What did I buy? A rather odd assortment: an old window, several chipped and banged up enamel pots, some bejeweled serviette rings, a blue Medalta bowl,a monstrous metal flour bin (how am I going to explain that one to hubby?) and an old wooden box which I have already put my herbs in.

On my way home I just had to stop at our fabulous country store – it’s like a magnet and it’s only 10 minutes from our house. I tried to pass by but I couldn’t. So on the day I thought I was just hunting for ‘junque’ I ended up buying these cute little nesting tables! I swear, I couldn’t have walked away! I had the perfect little corner for them in my kitchen. When I added my bouquet of globe flowers and the sun shone in on it all, I couldn’t help but smile, I felt contentment.

A prickly situation . . .

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Last night just as I was heading to bed I was astonished to see this fella coming out of the trees and into our yard! OK, what is THAT? oh, it’s a porcupine!

Run to get my camera (battery has one bar left) and my card is in the computer. Run to the computer, get the card, insert in camera, set up tripod . . . start shooting!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when he started to climb up the bird feeder, and with ease, albeit a tight squeeze once he got there. He didn’t get much to eat so he left quite soon, vanishing into my flower bed. After he was a long way off I went out on the deck and tried to take some photos without the window between us. He heard the camera clicking and sat right up and faced me. It was a bit spooky and I had bad dreams last night.

I’m going to be a lot more careful when I go wandering through the yard from now on. Note that these photos were taken with the ISO cranked all the way up to 1600 so they are quite grainy – it was almost dark when I took these.

You can check out Hinterland Who’s Who for some interesting facts.

porcupine, a sticky situation, keeping with the times porcupine02 porcupine03 porcupine04 porcupine05 porcupine06 porcupine07 porcupine08 porcupine09 porcupine10

A morning in May

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This is my version of a sunrise! we don’t get one! Our house sits north/south and there are trees all around. But, if I take a walk down the path out onto the dock, this is my view to the left. The sun was barely up and the cooler temperatures overnight had created a bit of fog. I had scared off all the water fowl (just by walking out onto the dock) and the lake was smooth as glass. It was so beautiful, so quiet, and so fleeting! Even before I left to go back up to the house, the light had changed and the scene was just not quite the same.

Neigh . . . bors

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I’m always discovering something new as I make my way to our home at the lake. This time, it was this friendly fella, just standing by the road looking like he wanted to visit. Seeing as we are practically neighbors I stopped to say hi and he was all ears!

Starling Aerobatics

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The other evening we were driving down a side road when we came across these starlings getting ready to settle for the night. It was a totally unexpected performance and was it ever amazing! We’d never seen it before so of course we stopped and I proceeded to take twenty five photos! I found this video on YouTube if you want to check it out – very interesting!

Light and shadows

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f14, 1/60s, IS0100

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours out and about trying to find my photo for the day. I wasted one hour of that around noon when it was so bright I could hardly open my eyes – forget taking a photo! I went home, ate some popcorn and watched “The Young and the Restless”. Much later I decided to go out and try again – hey, it’s hard when it’s minus 20C and there’s brisk breeze blowing. Anyway, when I finally found my photo it was 6:02 pm. Well worth the wait, I think.