A Change of Scene

The final post for Kati's JulyPhoto Challenge! There were times when I wondered if I should have signed on, but I am glad that I did and, even though I have not taken any stellar photographs, I have been challenged by subject material. Thanks, Kati!
25. A contrail so far away that you can't see it. ☺

26. 9:00: Do you know how difficult it is to get a photo on the dot?

 27. Cloud—July has been rather stormy.

 28. & 29. Blue and Flip-Flops (Yes, I have been known to cheat.)

30. Shapes

Couldn't decide if a close-up worked best and I liked the first photo better. Besides, I wanted to share that I have come into the Land of Paper Straws.

 31. My own theme

Found Piglet hanging out at the piano after the boys had left so I just thought he should bookmark my song theme for the month, an old one by Dottie Rambo.

 Just a collage review! Hope that you and I are clear about the news that there will be no August posts. (There will also be no precious few comments, though you may catch me tiptoeing into your kitchen, sitting at your table, enjoying a tall glass of iced tea. Please don't sic the dog on me. )

Have a great month! Thank you for stopping by today. You can find the other participants by clicking *here.*

ツ

Photo Challenge 15–24

Here are my Photo Challenge Offerings for the week. It will become obvious that I was out early this morning trying to get caught up starting with the first one. That sign (aka bumper sticker) may be one of the things holding John's truck together. I think that the last time the United States was truly united was in the days following September 11, 2001. 

15. sign

16. and 17. indoors and on the shelf (totally cheating I know)

 18. insect (ugh...they're baaa-accck)

19. black and white (the paint on his hands is blue)

 20. colorful (kinda)

 21. red bee balm 

 22. tree (one could infer from this photo that John was not quite as taken with the idea of building a fairy door as I was ☺)

23. ordinary moment (terribly)

24. close-up (I love doing these. For one thing, they always reveal little secrets. I had no idea that my mother's vintage bottle of ink said super Quink. Isn't that cute? Quick and ink combined. I like it!)

Thanks a million for looking at my humble offerings. Do you have a favorite? 
It's never too late to join *Kati's July Photo Challenge* if you are a cheat like me. ☺ Personally, I think it would be fun (at this late date) to select the five or ten that appeal most to you and do those. Would that be wrong? 
A pleasant weekend to you!

From Drinks to Boots

No time for cute nor clever today...and a collective sigh of relief was heard in the land. I am joining Kati's July Photo Challenge; I am only three days behind this being the 17th and all and I am ending with Day 14. Some week, I'll have to catch up.

 8. Drink

9. Calm (why, yes, that is a flannel shirt in July...ahem. Weather changes on a dime this summer.)

10. Busy

11. Vegetable...our first zucchini...we're very proud!

12. soft light

13. shadow

14. On the Floor

This was a challenge for me...can't imagine why as there are plenty of things on the floor...John would like me to remind you that the term is "boots on the ground." What a nut!

Some fine day, I'll catch up! You can find the other participants at Kati's right *here.* Kati's photos can be found *here.* (She should link up!)

By word of explanation, today I am linking to Kati's Photo Challenge and also participating by visiting other participants. This in contrast to the Hodge Podge where I linked to Joyce's excellent meme, but did not link my post at her site nor did I visit all the participants. It can be confusing! 

ツ

Grace Received

Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord.” It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.

~C.S. Lewis from The Weight of Glory

Let's see how tight a weave I can create here this morning. Outdoors, I finally put together the arch that my daughter gave me a decade ago. It takes time, folks. Time. I rather like it and I hope to create a softening with some old sheers one day soon.

Flowers currently at the windowsill...

John considers fresh, local strawberries the best food. Say, do you all have a hull picker at your house? That's the little silver thingy hanging over the yellow colander. It keeps a gal's fingernails looking good and is so easy to use. Not terribly costly either.

Sometimes birthday gifts should have a little sparkle. This ribbon has a bit of shine. Potholders make good, practical gifts, don't you think? Happy Birthdays were in order for my daughter-in-law this week.

The grass out here is looking pretty shabby. I think my outside "room" is getting too much foot traffic since the potting bench was set up. I may have to think about this some more.

There are so many shades of white. There's the off-white in my new scrunchy and the white of the sewing machine, the cream of the thread, the white of the thread holder. Okay, I am just plain cheating with this one. I have been making scrunchies. Not the big, old-fashioned fluffy ones (though I still like them lots), but a modified thin one. You can find tutorials all over Pinterest.

More scrunchies and Words (Bell and Betsy Ross). Why am I making them? Because my hair is so miserably long that in the heat, I must get it off my face.

This photo shows just how long it is. And this photo looks nothing like me. I have sent myself through the diffuser 50 times at least. Ha!

A big thank you to *Kati* for hosting the July photo-a-day challenge. It provided me with some much~needed blog fodder.
A happy weekend to you!
ツ

December Photo Challenge

This month's photo challenge is Christmas Scenes. I actually read all the articles that our hostess graciously provided and determined that I would try to copy one of the photos that I very much enjoyed. Wait. I'll go see if I can find it... Ahhh, yes, here it is in in *this article* photo #2. I'll let you decide how close I came. ☺ So I started a few days ago when the weather was most uncooperative. The light just wasn't right during the day and nightime hours provided me with that light I love—all orange-y and warm—however, most people shudder to see it.  I can show you...

This morning we woke to tracings of snow on branches and pale blue sky with some weak sun. I took my chance to re-photograph my subjects, which were two antique ornaments from my collection. (I don't actually have them on display this year and they will be returning to their storage soon.)

Here they are rather lost in the muddle middle. An antique Santa who looks more like an angry gnome and three acorns surrounded by oak leaves. It pleases me to think that these once hung on my great-grandparents' tree at the turn of the 20th Century.

What'sa matter, Santa? Have I been naughty again?

All photos were taken on automatic with a Coolpix P7100. I cropped, used frames (transparent and gradient 6 on Photoscape), auto corrected (low), auto contrasted (low),  and sharpened on level 5. I added the default back lighting and put that warm glow I love on with the lowest setting of "bloom." This is not a good idea for everyone because it does take the clarity back down again. Then I zipped over to PicMonkey and wrote this thank you for a lady who has done so much to teach me what little I know about photography. Though I don't shoot in RAW, I shoot in auto, which she once told me that her Beloved did a lot.

Thank you is not enough, but it's a start.  

As most of you know, Donna will not be with us for this challenge because she is caring for her Beloved. It is a credit to her that we have been allowed to carry on without her today. Donna has said that this is her last photo challenge. I understand that and hope to honor her commitment with this little post.

Thank you for looking. I am closing comments today.

Trees

Oh my it's been so long since I last linked to Donna's Photo Challenge. I'm out of practice and though I am linking there, I am not adding my post to the list of participants. This gives me great freedom to visit all, but not comment everywhere like the prattling wonder I used to be. If you visit, you will learn a few nifty things I can promise!

My difficulty with autumn photos was that the intensity of color was often incorrectly portrayed. Everything seemed far too washed out. This was the best of my back yard photos. I have added some sharpening and, of course, cropping.  Donna had a great suggestion for remedying the color issue on her Trees post.

The same stand of trees taken yesterday afternoon toward evening. 

I was taking a photo of a burl (first learned about at Judith's — you should see her photo at Lavender Cottage — incredible), when this squirrel hopped into the photo. Thanks a lot, little guy, you've  added some interest as this burl is nothing to write home about. Do you have any trees with burls?
Thanks for looking. You will find all the other participants *here.*  A happy and blessed weekend to you!

She's an Animal

This month's photo challenge is Animals. I live with two of them at least. One has not been feeling so well nor looking her best so I knew that I wouldn't be putting her or myself through the headache of a photo session.

That's why I went back to the archives and pulled a few old ones out. Then, last evening, *Donna posted about a new app.* Course I couldn't be out of the loop so I downloaded it, too, and did some playing. This month's challenge is less about photography and more about photo editing. 

***

***

I do think I captured her love of a good book. 

Thanks for stopping by...

Oh, one last thing...

Just had to toss in this fellow. I used "half life" on the app Donna spoke of.
Thanks for hosting, Donna! Please find the other participants right *here.*