Turning Back Time

"Time Stands Still For No Man."

But for a good many of these little beauties, time does stand still.

They are found with broken parts,
parts missing...
...they're rusty....
....springs have sprung, or they've been wound too tight...

...they're old and worn out.

Or all of the above.

Kind of like people.
But we love them anyway, don't we?

That Darn Cat

This is Mister Snapper, my cat.

We've had him for almost 12 years.

I'm allergic to cats, so until recently, Snapper and I have
enjoyed a "foot to the head" kind of relationship.
(I used my foot to pet him, not kick him!)

Then Snapper got a urinary blockage in August. $400 later, he was good.
Then, early this month, he got another that came on quick and he nearly died.
Another $400, I have to wonder what I will do if it happens again.

So now I let Snapper get on my lap when he wants to. He does this kitten "kneading" thing that
he used to do only to Mc's oversized stuffed bunny and panda.

Some funny things about Mister Snapper, if you don't mind:

He rings a bell on the door to let me know he wants to go potty outside.
He sleeps by my bedroom door at night because he knows he's not allowed to come inside.
He loves to tear up toilet paper and leave it in teeny bits strewn around the house.
When I don't get up at my regular time (5:35 am), he is my backup alarm.
He drinks out of the toilet, so I have had to retrain my boys about how the seat works.
He likes chips, especially Doritos.

He's a very manly cat, that Mister Snapper. But his vet says he is of the most sensitive kind
of cat there is. Here, all these years, I thought he was the tough man. Lo and behold, he's
just a little kitten on the inside.

WISHING YOU HEALTH, Mister Snapp's!

Multi-tasking

Here, my son Nathan demonstrates his ability to multi-task.

Dog under the arm, talking on the phone.

As if that wasn't enough....

....He texts, too!

Crazy world, isn't it?!

Right outside my window...

...on a typical drive up North...

... an explosion of color...

...the harvest of the crop...

...the changing of the seasons...

And right outside my window!

Have I said how much I love Oregon?

Jacksonville IS Art

When I retire, I want to retire to Jacksonville, Oregon!

Time stands still there...

Art is everywhere!

It's hidden, then magically appears... (see the fairies, above?)

It's in the little details....

and sometimes... it's right at your fingertips!

*click any photo for more magical detail*

Life Is A Carnival

Here I have some pictures for you from our State Fair in September.

Everywhere I go, I see things differently than I used to.
I notice the colors, the contrast, the texture. If I were an object I would be a camera.
My eyes look at things as if they are setting the stage to take a photo. Every glimpse of something beautiful or interesting, my mind takes a snapshot. Even the mundane takes on a life of its own when you look at it differently.

There is beauty in every thing.

With some of these photos I have used Picnik and Picasa to manipulate them to how they are as you see. Go check it out! What fun things you can do!