Changes and What Comes Next

Since Birds and Blooms revamped their online magazine and no longer needed my services I have felt so many different things....initially I felt the hurt and insecurity one feels after loosing a job even when it was nothing I did and nothing I could have changed.  Then I felt relief.  My time was so full there was never any wriggle room -- full time at the pharmacy, mostly full time with mom, odd times I was able to spend with my kids and grandkids, and the occasional blog I was able to mete out here -- my time was all spoken for.

I looked at things from the perspective of how it would fit in the B&B blog.  I curtailed my own opinion and tried to conform my writing for a blog that had national exposure.  Oh, I avidly spent time researching online and trying different things to attract birds; I explored and displayed interesting gardens.  And I learned which way to point the camera so what I discovered could be shared.

Once it was over I thought I could do these things for me, because I really love doing them. I felt like I had a ton of time on my hands.  So I will continue to learn what I can about birds (in fact, check out this incredible picture I found online.  This is a Jamaican Hummingbird.)

  

I am actually looking forward to the things I can accomplish in my gardening; I am also excited about setting the deck up this spring.  Additionally one of the things I could have done better with the B&B blog is networking.  Sadly, there was never enough time.  However, that will change now.  Some of my time will be focused on learning and sharing.  Hopefully I can learn from my fellow bloggers, too.

But the underlying excitement I have now?  From the time I started writing the blog for B&B I haven't picked up a paint brush.  That was the whole point of my blog here, to learn what I could about water colour painting, and to share my progress. The title Cold Pressed is a painting reference to the type of paper used with water colour.  In learning to paint with water colours one of the choices people must make is whether or not to use hot pressed paper or cold pressed paper.  There is so much about painting I want to learn.   Guess I just reset my goals.

Managed to finish my first blog for Birds and Blooms.  Had to work with one of the editors closely to get to know the program.  And the original item I had written, which I love very much needed to be pared down.....after all, I wasn't writing a story, I was highlighting an anecdote.

Kind of like life:  sometimes we are very dramatic and we feel that the whole world needs to hear our version of life, in minute detail.  In this case, paring out the fluff parts worked.  I have definately learned some focusing lessons.  But......

Improved living?  Sure, buying that camera was about the best personal move I have made in a long time, and I am really enjoying the learning part.  I am sure if I hadn't had that ability to take great pictures I wouldn't have the nerve to speak up to Birds and Blooms when the invitation showed up.  Found some terrific websites with wonderful information.  This blog is awesome.  Take some time if you want to check it out.
Hummingbirds
And now to show off some of my pics: 

 

These are all just for fun, haven't done any editing yet.  But it was great trying to get the shots.

The Sun Is Shining

Autumn Day

The sun is shining.  As the rays streak across the yard something needs to be done where ever I look.  The lawn needs to be mowed; rose beds are choked by weeds and tall grass.  The feeder for the hummingbirds is freshly filled, but I can see cobwebs glinting in the light across the deck.

The sun is shining.  It's reflected on the broken glass all over the garage floor.  The concrete merely helps the shards hold their position.  I know where the broom is, but what about the dustpan?

In the house the sun glints through the windows, highlighting the unwashed laundry; clearly the carpet needs to be vacuumed.  A couple of coffee cups, liquid drained out earlier in the day, sit quietly on the counter, waiting for a worthwhile amount of dishes to fill the sink.  The bathrooms?  Well, that calls for plain old elbow grease.

The light almost glows as my daughter and grandchildren walk to the park to spin in the sun, or swing in the breeze.  I take the opportunity to sit on the computer for awhile...no one to compete with.  When the they return I step up to start dinner -- Thai food this evening, but I hear  Paysh and Darcie banter with the words 'addiction' as they back out of my Facebook page and do some computing of their own.  I am not sure if their words appropriately refer to me.

I have looked forward to my 3-day weekend.  I have longed to paint, to study techniques and try my hand at a couple of new steps.  Such ideas I thought through the days as this welcome break approached!

My 'zone' is the dining room table, computer on one hand with an instructional dvd playing, or paused so I can keep up.  The rest of the table would be littered with books open to appealing lessons, my water color paints waiting to feel the brush coax them gently onto the paper, 140 lb cold pressed is easiest.  I lose time and listen to myself while sitting there.

But, as the saying goes sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or in this case, the needs of the one.  I feel the beckoning of the life altering warmth of this day.  After all, the sun is shining.