I've decided to go friends only for several reasons...none of which would be of interest to anyone so I won't attempt to explain. I have future-dated this so that it stays at the top of my journal, and I'll leave it public. Thanks for stopping by, but I have all the friends I can handle at the moment.




Create your own visitor map!

*sigh*

I'm such a sheep...my desktop...

I decided yesterday that today's photo of the day would either be a sunrise or a sunset. Since I haven't found a decent sunrise spot, the choice was made for me. I knew exactly where I wanted to take the picture, and I knew what time the sun would set. I would get there early and wait for the perfect moment. The best laid plans...

I noticed that the sky began to darken a tad early tonight so I rushed around gathering up camera and purse and keys. I turned the car toward the street and realized why. Clouds! A massive cloud bank loomed in the west, but the sun was still scorching the edge of it. I hurriedly turned toward my destination. The best laid plans...

There is no quick way to get to the spot I'd chosen, but slow, oooooooold people make the trek even longer. The eldrly lady in front of me obviously was concerned about getting or had recently gotten a ticket because she caught all six traffic lights between my house and my photo spot...on purpose, I tell you. Sloooooowly we crept as the sun inched its way down behind the clouds. I even passed up a perfectly good place to pull over and snap because she sped up juuuuuuust a tad, making me think she'd come to her senses. But, no. She caught herself. Finally, she turned and I managed to whip up into the parking lot with a little light to spare.

Photo of the day...'Sunset on the Neuse River'...

		I will marry Paul Newman.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Scotland in our fabulous House.
		We will have 2 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Pink Jaguar.
		I will spend my days as a Photographer, and live happily ever after.

A large pecan tree dominates the yard at the southwest corner of my house. It's a godsend on hot days until around 5:00 P.M. when the sun moves past it and glares into my living room window. It doesn't produce stellar fruit, but it does give copious shade. On days such as the last few, the shade is much more important.

I have always had an affinity for Native American folklore. I am fascinated by the belief that spirits dwell in all living things. For some reason, I'm reminded of the scripture from Luke when Jesus said, "I tell you that, if these [disciples] should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Perhaps the Native Americans understood something we've lost sight of...that all creation is His and part of Him is in everything. I'm not a mystic, just someone who finds comfort in knowing He surrounds us even when we don't recognize Him.

Photo of the day...'Your Majesty'...

I took sunrise pictures yesterday and today. It's amazing to me how different they look and yet are quite similar. Sunrise is hidden by trees at home so I don't know what I'll do when school is out. May have to take an early morning drive to the east side of town. It's too far to walk...hmmmmm.

I thought at first I wouldn't get one today because there was some cloud cover and a touch of fog in places. Actually, the drive was almost over before the eastern sky began to glow clearly.

Anyway, here's this morning's sunrise over Wayne County in eastern North Carolina.

Photo of the day...'Ready or Not'...

In Georgia, the legend says
That you must close your windows
At night to keep it out of the house.
The glass is tinged with green, even so...



IT’S a versatile member of the pea family of plants. Its young leaves are used raw in salads while the more mature leaves are cooked like turnip greens or even battered and deep fried; its flowers are pressed into a golden jelly that tastes somewhat like a cross between apple and peach. Grazing animals love it, but its nutritional value decreases over time.

Its woody vines make beautiful baskets, and it is one ingredient in some lotions and soaps. Some people even make paper from it.

Its strong roots prevent soil erosion. It returns an enormous amount of nitrogen and other nutrients to the topsoil, transferring them from deep in the earth via long tap roots.

Medicinally, it has been used for centuries and is considered in some parts of the world as one of the fifty fundamental herbs. It contains anti-inflammatory, cancer-preventive, serotonin-affecting properties. Scientists and medical researchers have found it efficacious in the treatment of migraines and cluster headaches, as well as a deterrent to alcohol cravings. It’s a miracle plant!

If you’ve crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into the South, you’ve probably seen it. It’s everywhere! The plant requires a temperate climate with regular rainfall, hot summers and mild winters. In fact, it grows so well down here that in 1972 it was classified a WEED! It takes every other plant near it captive and creates modern art.

( IT is... )

Sunrise is one of my favorite times of the day. This morning the clouds and the light played off each other in a spectacular light show that changed second by second.

I took the following three sunrise pictures within a minute of each other and a few yards apart. Notice how the pinks and purples change drastically to golds and oranges.


Liquid Gold...



About to Explode...



Orange Glow...

A few years ago I bought two small sections of wrought iron fence. Someone had soldered 'feet' onto the sections so they are sort of stand alone pieces. One had been recently painted with what can only be described as industrial strength black paint. It will NOT come off...and I want it OFF. It will take an electric sander to do the job, something I don't have. I suppose it doesn't matter much since they are in the yard now.

My original intent was to make a headboard from them, but that didn't happen. When we moved to this property, I stuck them out in the side yard at a right angle to each other hoping the ivy would take over. The ivy had other ideas, but a pesky weed liked the supports.

I've been taking pictures of the pieces for three years, but was never very satisfied with the results. Yesterday evening I took a couple of pictures that turned out okay. I tried again very early this morning with semi-satisfying photos.

I couldn't decide which to use for my photo of the day so Y'ALL get to choose. ( Which one will it be? )

Directly across the road from the school is a field of...wheat, or something. I really don't know what the crop is - I'm used to fields of cotton, soybeans and rice with a little milo or corn thrown in here and there. What I do know is this field is beautiful, and I hate that I could not capture its true beauty in the early morning light.

Whatever the grain is, it is grown in great abundance around here. The field across from the school is the fourth I pass every day. And these fields are HUGE. This one undulates and the grain waves a little in the wind producing a slightly Field of Dreams feeling. Another characteristic that is impossible for me to capture.

I wondered if I were able to lift myself above the field, would I see crop circles way over near the stand of trees in the distance? Or would I see Shoeless Joe walking across the field toward me? Maybe I should have left a trail of Reese's Pieces just to be on the safe side.

Photo of the day...'Field of Dreams'...

When the horizon brightened enough to illuminate the sky this morning, I saw lots of blue. Within a couple of hours more clouds began to roll in. Although no rain has fallen yet, the forecast is for more. The weekend was full of deadly storms, hail and rain from Oklahoma east to North Carolina. But at least I have a roof over my head to protect me from the precipitation. I just heard on NPR that it's raining in the Sichuan Province of China and dozens of deceased middle school children are lying in the rain waiting to be identified. :(

My father's mother died when I was barely into my senior year of high school. Mamaw was a wonder. She worked until she was nearly seventy as the head of the alteration department at a local department store and made the best coconut cake in the world.

Miss Carrie, as everyone - including her husband - called her, was an anomaly of sorts in her family. She divorced my grandfather during a time when divorce was considered a mortal sin; she worked in cotton fields all day and sewed for others all night (my dad says that the last sound he heard every night before going to sleep was the whir of the old pedal sewing machine); she wore make up (gasp); she was addicted to fabric; she raised her own vegetables and tended an orchard; she cooked huge meals for the whole family every Sunday yet never missed Sunday school or church for years; she scared a would-be burglar away by quietly telling him she had a shotgun pointed at him.

Other than the aroma of roses, the one thing that evokes memories of Mamaw is the sweet smell of honeysuckle. Honeysuckle wound itself over and around an old shed in the orchard, draped itself over the fences and captured the frame of a wide swing in the front yard. My cousin and I (and later her brother and mine) would sit in the swing and drink nectar from the blooms.

Today memories fill my mind as the aroma of the honeysuckle outside floods my house.

Photo of the day...

I have taken today off for several reasons, but the main one is because it is Maureen's thirty-third birthday...or would be.

Twenty years ago she was getting ready for her thirteenth birthday party after a week long chemo treatment.

Ten years ago Maureen was going to college majoring in fine art and photography in spite of the loss of a leg and a lung, congestive heart failure and a paralyzing stroke.

Five years ago she had just returned to her dad's home from a month-long visit with Daddy and friends. She ended up in the hospital fighting and losing her last battle with congestive heart failure.

Happy birthday, my daughter. How I wish I could take your picture today.

After all, it IS "Louie Louie" Day!

The rules are:

1. Comment to this post, and I will choose five of your icons.
2. Post the icons in your journal and tell us all about them.

heartmart chose the following icons for me.

1. "Henrietta"

Henrietta is a hen that sits on the sideboard in my living room beside her mate, Chanticleer. I love hens and roosters and at one time thought about collecting them. I'm glad I didn't begin that collection because the two I have seem perfectly happy ruling the roost. Besides, look at that face. Does it appear to be wishing for more company? :D

2. "School Project"

No matter what I'm teaching, there will be a 'project' of some kind attached. It's one of the things that used to distinguish me from other English teachers, but now everybody does it. When I began posting about various school projects, I needed an icon that was generic enough to be used with any activity. I can't remember where I found this one - probably through a Google search.

3. "The Back of the Front"

One day I was driving home from work as the back end of a weather front receded in my rear view mirror. It hit me that watching the dark clouds disappear meant I was missing something spectacular because the sun was shining in front of me creating little rainbows all around. Life is like that, too. Looking back doesn't accomplish much if one is living in the past. It's today and what we do with it that counts. I can't change the past, but I can make the present a better place. Plus, I love the play on words.

4. "School Rules"

Someone in the LJ teaching community let me have this one because a few of my pet peeves are included. I just think it's funny, and all to often supposedly erudite people misuse and abuse the language. I am an English teacher after all. :D

5. "Delta State University"

This one has entertained quite a few of my LJ friends. Hahahahahaha! The 'official' mascot of my college alma mater is a Statesman - Southern gentleman in a top hat and cutaway coat. Very proper and staid. Our colors are green and white. Ten or twelve years ago some college boy introduced the "Fighting Okra" as a joke, and the darn thing caught on. Still the unofficial mascot, Mr. Okra has appeared on David Letterman, ESPN's Sports Center and Food Network. What began as a joke has become a fabulous PR vehicle for Delta State. :D

I was born and reared in a section of Mississippi known as The Delta. It's not really a delta, though; it's an alluvial flood plain created by years and years of flooding by the Mississippi River. The land is flat and fertile and lies between the Father of Waters and the Yazoo River.

The Delta is home to Delta State University, my alma mater. The university's logo is, naturally, the symbol for the Greek letter delta, a triangle. The triangle or the word delta are ubiquitous back home, appearing in many business names, including Delta Airlines which has its roots in The Delta.

So, imagine our surprise when looking at this property on which we now reside, we found a Delta right in the back yard in the form of a small concrete fish pond. We've not done anything with it yet, but some day we will.

Photo of the day...a little reminder of our roots now covered in duck weed...

Siggy scored a 94!

Results:
# Less than 40 points: Better good-looking than smart, some say, and we’re certainly hoping your dog doesn’t take up too much space on the bed. Don’t let him off the leash, because he might forget who you are and leave the park with someone else.
# 40 to 80 points: Pretty darn bright, and if you work on trick-training and other mind-expanding games your dog will likely be even tuned in and fun to have as a companion.
# Above 80 points: Canine-stein! You think you’re in charge? We have news for you: Your dog is running the show. Good thing he likes you.

Want to try? Go HERE!

Sometimes when I leave for a day of fun, Siggy takes offense and does something he shouldn't. He's bad about chewing up his blanket and scattering pieces of it all over the house. Once, when I went on vacation, he tore up the blinds in the living room.

Today was much worse. *gag*

I always close the kitchen door when I leave the house, but the catch is broken on it so a simple push will cause it to open. I had a bag of trash in the pantry. I don't know how he did it, but Siggy managed to open the pantry door, tear open the bag of trash and scatter the contents of the bag all over the kitchen (coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, etc.). He also found something to eat, even though he had food and water in his own bowls.

Aaaaaaaand...he's been throwing up said garbage since 5:00 P.M. I have yet to identify the...*gag*...food.

Every Monday is Family Day at Melanie and Jeff's house with activities centering around fun things the family can do together. For the last few weeks, they've been Geo Caching, and they agreed to take me along today. What FUN!

In case you don't know what Geo Caching is: http://www.geocaching.com/. A hand-held GPS system is required, and coordinates are downloaded from the website to the device.

So today's Project 366 photo is hidden among the large number of pictures of the day behind the cut. Feel free to skip on by if you're sick of my overly zealous new found hobby - photography - but you'll miss a great shot of me if you do. ;)

( It's an Easter Egg Hunt from a different planet... )

4 jobs i've had:
1. Waitress
2. The Chevy Show, Six Flags Over Georgia
3. Office manager at a printing company
4. Teacher

4 tv shows i'm watching:
1. CSI
2. Law and Order
3. The Closer
4. NCIS

4 places i've been:
1. San Antonio, Texas
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Savannah, Georgia
4. Los Angeles, California

4 musical artists i'm listening to right now:
1. The Steve Miller Band
2. The Doors
3. Pete Seeger
4. Janis Joplin

Today is Good Friday, and I had to work. On the way home, I thought if I could catch a bird in flight, I'd make it my photo of the day because that's how I feel. The effort was wasted on finches (maybe) hiding in trees, but the periwinkles are blooming and a bumble bee had found them. That would be a good one, too except the pictures turned out fuzzy when I enlarged.

In an effort to identify a particular shrub by its fruit, I got tangled in a thorny vine. I took a picture of it.

As I sorted through the various photos, I kept returning to the vine, and the picture became clear. The red-tinged thorns say it all, but words from Isaiah set to music run through my mind...

"But He was wounded for our transgressions...He was bruised for our iniquities...surely He bore all our sorrows...and with His stripes we are healed..."

Even I...even you...

I received this in an email from a friend. I think it says just about everything.

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering.

"You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued, "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups... Then you began eyeing each other's cups.

"Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!"

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have. So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

And remember - the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Sometimes, and not because anyone makes me feel this way, but sometimes I'm a little embarrassed to post pictures of my apartment because it IS old and run down and needs a lot of work that I can't afford right now. But, then I look at the pots where the grands and I planted all those herbs and flowers and remember the joy we found in them every day...or the house that Melanie and Jeff have made into a home...or the animals that own us...or the business that Melanie has built from nothing...or my chime tree...or the notes from Peyton and Mabry on the decrepit refrigerator (that needs defrosting again), and I remember how I got where I am, who I am and how happy I am to be me right now.

My 'coffee cup' literally 'runneth' over!