Liquid {Photo Challenge}

5.21.2018
Dewdrops on a Mutated Indian Paintbrush.

5.21.2018
Morning Dew on a Wild Sunflower Leaf

5.21.2018
Rainwater with Dew on Discarded Wooden Flooring

Liquid Photography Challenge

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A Twist on the word Include

circa 1970.  Moi with my first cat.

I am having a hard time with the FMF word prompt, “include”.  So, I’ve decided to twist things up.

The first definition that popped up for this word via google for me is:

verb

1. comprise or contain as part of a whole.
“the price includes, dinner, bed, and breakfast.”

2. make part of a whole or set.
“we have included some hints for beginners in this section.”

synonyms: incorporate, comprise, encompass, cover, embrace, involve, take in, number, contain.

So, let’s see.  I’ll do an “about me” post.

What or who am I?  What am I comprised of?  What is my story?  What shall be included in the list I think belongs to me?Rubella (German Measles) interfered with the development of my hearing while I was in the womb.  Thus, I was born severely and profoundly deaf.  What hearing I had gradually degraded until it leveled off upon entering sixth grade. This made me profoundly and legally deaf.  So, Rubella and deafness is a part of my identity; albeit, I am not your typical deaf as I was not raised in the deaf culture.

I am the youngest and the only girl of four.  I am a daddy’s girl.

I am musically inclined. In fact, all of my brothers are musically inclined.  I first learned to play the piano. The sole purpose of my learning the piano was the suggestion that it might help me “listen” better.  I moved onto playing the clarinet during fifth grade.  I  switched to playing the bass clarinet sometime in sixth grade based upon a recommendation of the brave band director who took me on with the knowledge of my talented brothers who went before me.

Being a believer (Christian) has been a part of me since the summer of 1979.  If it wasn’t for Christ (and my grandmother), I would not be alive today. That is a story for another time.

I am a cat lover and have been one since my youth.  My first was a young adult street cat I met on the sidewalk while in first grade.  I remember that day clearly in my mind.   I was fiercely lonely, feeling alone, and praying to God for a friend while outside walking.  When we first spied each other, we both froze.   After a few seconds, he relaxed and from his body language, I knew in my heart he chose me. I calmly approached and picked him up, took him inside the house, and begged my mother to keep him. He was so calm in my tiny arms. She firmly told me he will not stay.  I firmly told her he would.  It was a small but mighty battle of words.  Mother eventually helped me make a bed on the front doorstep fully expecting him to be gone by morning.  He was in the bed upon rising the following morning and was so happy to see me.  He ended up staying with us for the rest of his life in spite of the noise and rowdiness of four kids.  He was my friend and clearly an answer to prayer.

This turned into something unexpected. A  post of mini-stories of me.  Interesting.

A Place in the World

My heart really belongs at the beach… or at the river… Any place by a body of water… But, I have not been to the beach in eons… We are going camping by a river soon.  In the meantime, what do I do for the challenge now?

Note: click on the pictures to get a larger image.  You’ll see the wildflowers and more on the land better.

5.13.2018

We searched for over two years before finding this place where I am content and at peace.   Wildflowers are abundant.  This time of the year is coreopsis (two varieties) and wild sunflowers.  We have a few fire wheels too — more than last year which makes me happy.  On the left are wild grapes growing on the fence.  The two small trees are pecans (different varieties) we are nurturing.  The big tree in the back is the boundary of our land.

5.13.2018

If you pan to the right of the first picture, you’ll see my garden and more wildflowers.  Again, the big trees are the boundary of the land. By the way, wild grapes are growing on those trees too.

Place in the World Photography Challenge

Resilience

05.08.2018
{This is not the wrist I wear the strap on as I am a lefty.  But, for the photography, I had to wear it on the left arm and use the camera with my right hand.}

I’ve been very busy and am now forced to take it easy due to a migraine/headache.  Oftentimes, I am a spoonie.  I must pick and choose my battles — to do the things which have a higher priority or are easiest first.  It all depends on how I am feeling or capable of doing at that moment.  Today I decided I will write about my reversible strap/bracelet.

This strap is similar to the silicone or rubber bracelets you see many people wear in honor of someone, in solitary for/against something, (e.g. ovarian cancer), or a even meaningful word or phrase.  I never liked wearing one of those bracelets.  These straps by ZOX are a wonderful substitution.  I’ve worn the one above since the day I received it.

FYI: I’m not sticking with the five-minute requirement.  I don’t need the pressure of time at this moment.  However, I will try to keep this short and simple.
One of my words of the year for 2018 is recovery. (The other word is reconnection).  The reason why I like this particular strap is the word, resilience, resonated with me.  Resilience is the ability to recover quickly.

It is hard for me to be adaptable to the changes going on from without and within me.  I am focusing on recognizing what is going on with my body and making appropriate decisions based on my capability to execute those decisions.  The ability to minimize things which may cause me to crash harder (be sicker) is important.

I am also focusing on rebounding quickly from sudden changes (or hurts) that may occur in life.  In other words, adapting and adjusting to the situation(s) cropping up and not letting them get me down.  Change, of any kind, along with social gatherings has always been hard for me.

I am an extremely sensitive, passionate, and a literal (black and white) girl.  For example, I do not usually get or understand sarcasm.  As a result, I can get hurt easily.  Due to this fact, I do not desire to cause pain for others.  I try to be careful with my words.  I do not recover easily if I am deeply hurt or have caused people pain.

I failed miserably this past weekend.

To make a long story short, the person stated he had to have a couple teeth removed before getting braces.   I honestly thought he had a large jaw and had room for all his teeth.  I blurted out to him, “I cannot believe you had to have teeth removed because you have a big mouth”.  His feelings were hurt and everyone laughed.  He and the others interpreted what I said in a different way than I meant.

I was upset by his reaction and with myself.  I never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings let alone his.  And yet, I did with a few careless words.   I almost shut down.  I wanted to leave the gathering immediately. I stewed over the incident for a few days trying to understand the whole conversation and what I did or said wrong.

I honestly believe we are responsible for our words and actions.    I tried so hard to rebound from the situation emotionally and intellectually.  Incidences like these cause me to want to not participate in social gatherings.  In addition to frequent misunderstandings, I lack social skills.

With that said, I feel like I am recovering quicker from situations like the one I described.  It used to take me weeks to work through the entire scenario before gaining the ability to move on.  Now, it seems like it’s mere days.

There is nothing I can do about what is already said or done in the past.  I can only try to learn from the situations, make decisions, and move forward which is not an easy thing for me to do.  But, I feel like I’ve made progress in all kinds of ways this year.

The strap by Zox seems to be well made and has so far stood up to one session of weeding out in the garden amongst other chores.  So far, I really like the item and only take it off when I shower.  It helps me remember my words of the year.  I have another one that I may give as a gift.  But, I am not sure if I will because if I do, I will need to find more to give away as I will be unable to leave her siblings and cousins without one. The difficulty lies with the fact I want the straps to be meaningful and personal for each one.

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.
…
And great things are not accidental, but must certainly be willed.

~ Vincent Van Gogh ~

Lines in Nature [Photo Challenge]

4.29.2018
Overgrown Grass

4.29.2018
Daffodil

 Lines Photo Challenge

FMF Prompt: Stuck

7.16.2011
{One of my first macro shots. I thought of this when I first saw the prompt.}

What comes to mind when you think of the word, STUCK? 

Stuck in a rut.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

These are the two common phrases that immediately came to my mind upon reading this latest Five Minute Friday (FMF) prompt.  Off the top of my head, the word stuck means fixed or glued.  The only way to get out is to break free, change the course, or make a decision.

Marriage is hard.  It is especially hard when two people are not of the same heart.  By heart, in this instance, I mean spiritual values.  I definitely would not recommend being unequally yoked. It’s a lonely road.  The two does not truly become one.

I don’t like confrontation.  I hate hurting others.  I definitely do not like bringing others down.  That is the worst thing one can do to anyone.  We should build one another up rather than tearing each other down.  I can’t stand it when I see that I’ve managed to hurt my beloved no matter how careful I am.  So, how does one go about repairing a torn and tattered marriage without tearing each other down?

One of my biggest faults is I do not know how to communicate.  There is too much history of why I lack social and communications skills. That would require a novella. Needless to say, I’d rather write than speak my thoughts on the fly. I’m a black and white girl.  In other words, my thoughts (understanding) are literal. E.g. I don’t read, hear or understand sarcasm the majority of the time.

I digressed.

It takes two to make a marriage.  It takes two to communicate.  It takes the effort of two.  One cannot do it all.  It takes two to make one.

[I ran out of time. Finishing this.]

Since it takes work of both to maintain a relationship, if one does not do his/her part, then the other can feel stuck in a marriage growing distant from the one he/she loves.

♪♫♬
We lose our way,
We get back up again
It’s never too late to get back up again,
One day you’re gonna shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,
…

Get Back Up by Toby Mac

Prolific [Photo Challenge)

4.24.2018

I’m up to my ears with parsley from the garden.  They are hearty and healthy plants.  I am actually shocked at how much they are producing this year. The weeds are a prolific pain in the you-know-what too.  It’s a constant battle to keep them at bay.

 Prolific Photography Challenge