Columbus Water Towers

After reading Dot's post about water towers earlier in this month, I did not think there were any here in Columbus, GA., but I was wrong! In fact, I pass this one by almost every morning so I was rather shocked when I noticed it. It was near an old mill that is no longer. The downtown area has been revitalized. What a difference each week has made since I took the 1st photo. The next week it looked like they were painting it a cream color. Then this week they put this cover on it for reasons unknown to me. I guess it is an extreme make over. Then I realized I pass by two giant white water towers on the way to work twice daily. I tried to snap a quick one in between cars this morning, but it didn't work and I didn't zoom in for a close up. I thought this sequence worked much better anyway. There is another old one near where a mill burned down. It probably has more burn marks, smudges and character but I like these because they tell a story.

If you would like to participate in Dot's search for water towers, please go to her post on it:

http://strollingthroughgeorgia.blogspot.com/search/label/Water%20towers

P. S. When I rode by here on Saturday afternoon, the cover had been removed. It was fully painted so maybe it was just a cover in case of bad weather and to let the paint dry. We passed by maybe 4 & 1/2 water towers on the way to Dothan. I say a half because one was dismantled and was being worked on. They were not as interesting so I did not take any photos.

P. P. S. As I drove by this tower this morning in the pouring rain, I saw that it looks like the top of it has been painted white or maybe silver again. The bottom half remains yellow. I prefer the yellow. You can tell the middle shot was taken on a different day because it has clouds in it which would have made a good Sky watch photo.

Sky Watch Friday 2/29/08

I love these flowers that begin blooming around this time of year and wanted to place them here on this post in a positive manner representing approaching springtime. Even though we have temps in the 30's in the mornings and it heats up in the afternoons. I am not sure if they are cherry blossoms or Japanese Magnolias or what. I am sure my friends David or Jimmy could tell me in a New York minute. Or perhaps you can... I have been noticing the sunlight shining upon them lately. I was not able to capture that effect early this morning on my way to work, but I did get the pinkness of them which was what I wanted to convey most.

This is one of my favorite roads to drive down. It was a bit hazy with slight fog this morning which is sort of evident in this photo. I like the way the light filters through the trees. It looks even better after it has rained. Driving through it sometimes almost feels magical to me. I tried before to capture this with my Minolta camera. I am still not sure this one does it justice. That car saw me taking the above photo of the pink flowers and it stopped otherwise it would have been a perfect shot. I had to drive by the car, but it was still sitting there as I turned to the stoplight in the far right hand corner which you cannot see. I wondered if it belonged to one of the houses and was apart of a neighborhood watch program. There had been a burgalry in another neighborhood a hop, skip and jump near here. All the neighbors had been on tv and luckily the suspects were caught.

Hope you have a beautiful Sky Watch weekend. I am hoping for more beautiful weather like this if we drive out of town to Dothan where I hope to take more photos. If you would like to participate in Sky Watch Friday, please go to:

http://strollingthroughgeorgia.blogspot.com

Thankful Thursday 2/28/08

Today I am thankful for... the fun weekend we had as a family, all the photos I took, the cheap gas I bought, but alas is now gone. I was thankful to just get away if only for a little while. I am thankful my daddy is better and felt like picking my son up yesterday from school. I am thankful my cold is almost gone. Now if I could just get rid of this nagging cough. I am thankful for my past two blog posts. On Tuesday I did not feel like participating in yet another activity I found on another blog where you toot your own horn on that day. Maybe next Tueday... I did not feel worthy except for my two posts. I felt down and blue because I had not created any art due to being sick. I felt rest was more important even if I had ideas bombarding me. I was thankful for all the comments I received on my blog.

Last night I was thankful they brought out our old song books at Wednesday night service. Although I couldn't sing all the songs, I sang the ones I really liked to sing. I was thankful they sang one of my favorites "Victory in Jesus". It was like seeing an old friend so I was thankful we went to church and heard Daniel's message about the dandilions. He had a photo of a field of dandilions which showed how God's words multiplied like that field. It was awesome.

Today I had wanted to use a scripture, but had not found the right one. Then I refound an old email of a prayer sent from my friend Anne a week or so ago. It ended with this quote which I found powerful and I was thankful for refinding it:

God said, "Go in the strength you have." (Judges 6:14) Gideon had strengths he hadn't yet discovered, and so do you.

Then I remembered I did do a drawing on 2/20/08, a week ago in my Gratitude Journal which is the one shown above. It was my rendition of the blouse I bought at JCPenney's that has become my favorite top. It reminds me of dreamergirl's work on her blog at: http://dreamergirl.typepad.com/ This little doodle made me feel better about myself; like I accomplished something. It made me even more thankful - if that's possible.

I was thankful for the good laugh I had at my son Rhett's expense last night. We were listening to the song "Le Freak" on the radio on the way home from church. Rhett thought they were singing "just breathe" instead of "le freak". I made him repeat it and I cracked up. I told him I'd have to tell my best friend Penny about that. Because on a Donna Summer song from the 70's or 80's, she was singing "I got what you what you want..." and I thought she was singing "I got one shoe on". When I told Penny that, she spit her drink out into her windshield in her Sunbird. A good memory. When I told Rhett this, he laughed harder than me. So I guess I certainly can't deny him as my son after that now, can I? Not that I would or could since he looks so much like me.

I have another funny story to tell... the evangelist at work decided to put some of her annoiting oil on the back of the "supervisor's" chair while she was out at her car on one of her many smoke/talk on her cell phone breaks. She spilt the oil down onto her cloth chair and called for the other lady to help her clean it up. Luckily they got it cleaned up and they told me about it later. I could just picture it... and it was funny. I looked at the chair. I can still tell where the oil fell on the chair, but the "supervisor" has not noticed it. We would have never heard the end of it if she had seen it. They claim the "supervisor's" attitude got better because of it, but I am not so sure about that since she continued to make her snide remarks each time as she passed by. I felt like the evangelist was being told by someone higher up that she was doing something she should not do but that is just my point of view. Our preacher's wife said all of the women at my work just act plain childish. This week I am thankful for the peace and quiet in the office without the "supervisor's" presence. She will return on Monday. Our office will need your prayers please.

I am thankful for the good soulful lunch I had from the food Nazi today. It may be awhile before we get to-go orders from there since they misplaced the order I called in early. I am thankful I don't have an attitude like the people that work at that cafe seem to always have. I used to think they were prejudice and didn't like me, but that is not true. I don't think they like anyone who comes in the cafe. Yet we still go there and subject ourselves to this because the food is so good. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

What were you thankful for today?

If you would like to particpate in Thankful Thursday, please go to: http://www.eph2810.coom/

A B C Wednesday F is for...

In my search for F words, I knew I wanted to start with this one simply because of the fact that I wanted to do something with the two Franklins in my life. My father Franklin is in the foto on the left and Everett Franklin, aka Rhett, his namesake is on the right before he got braces. Today I went thru all the f words in the dictionary and found the word fleece which instantly struck a happy F chord with me since I began collecting lambs when I was pregnant with Rhett. This is Fleecie. She was given to me as a birthday gift at work and she resides on my computer. I'd almost forgotten about her until today. This reminded me I should not take her for granted. Rhett has a lamb at home called Fleece which is a smaller version of Fleecie. I can't remember if they are from the same family. My 2nd choice was my Rhett Butler t-shirt that says: "Frankly my dear..." which I did not fotograph.

I felt it was importantly fitting to have a flag flying in fair weather this February day.

I passed by these beautiful flowers in the floral departments of the grocery stores I frequented this week. I love the colorfulness of them.

I must say I had a barrel full of fun as well as a Field Day in this fabulous search for the f words I ferreted out all week. I went down familar roads and some not so familar to find four or five streets that began with the letter f all in the same area. Then there were the first, fourth and fifth avenues. Every where I turned, there was another one as if they were falling from the sky. It was almost unfathomable. Forgive the misspelling if it is misspelled. I did not post any of those F streets here this time like I did last time. I just didn't "feel" them as I did these f fotos. Although one f word street name sign was in front of a neat looking older home. Now I feel I could probably get a job for a real estate company taking fotos of their homes for sale. Don will be mad I did not take a foto of his Ford truck. I say "Foo-foo to that!" I could have taken fotos of fountains since Columbus is the Fountain City. I do pass by one fountain daily, but it no longer flows with water. Still she is beautiful in a classical way and may be a later post to come in the future... I had a foto of a tree that looked liked fingers, but it just didn't figure in here. I took a foto of Fred's discount store which is a place I frequent almost weekly, but it would not fit as the fifth foto; the fifth wheel. Believe it or not I was filtering down to only one post for f. I did not cheat and look at anyone else's f words first, wanting to savor the surprise. Forgive me if I forgot any. I feverishly await your feedback...

forever your's,
theRAV forevermore

If you would like to participate in ABC Wednesday, please go to:

http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/

Odd Shot Monday 2/25/08 (updated)

First of all on Friday nite, I did not take any of the OTC meds I'd been taking for my cold/sore throat. I wanted to sleep soundly, not feel as if I was floating on air then waking up to the slightest sound. I slept the sleep of the dead until I woke myself up snoring. My body felt heavy like it had been run over by a mack truck. Don woke me up by aggrevating me so we could get an early start ...

On Saturday, we drove to a car dealership about 30 mins away from home because we had won a "prize." It was supposed to be $1,000 in prizes. It is cheap stuff we have to pay shipping on if we order it! The real prize was the family outing together. They had all these balloons out front as most dealerships do nowdays. It was a perfect day except for being windy. I took this odd shot because I liked it. I was actually standing underneath this when I snapped it. I liked the contrast of the yellow balloons against the blue sky. I also got gas on the way home for $2.99, cheaper than back home so I was very thankful.

Another neat thing that happened was the salesman that waited on us, had a framed photo of Elvis with Muhammad Ali. I asked him if I could take a photo of it. I want Rhett to take it to school to show his class. Too bad we didn't have it last week for his poster. More serendipity?

Rhett wants a SUV with a dvd player & one of those radios you tell it to play whatever song. I told him Don would tell it to play Dwight Yoakum, I would tell it to play Barry Manilow & he'd tell it to play something else entirely. It would be so confused. Then Rhett added it would malfunction. It was cute and funny.

It you would like to participate in Odd Shot Monday, please go to: http://katneyskaboodle.blogspot.com/

We came home ate lunch, watched a movie because we couldn't go to Dothan so Don could buy a tractor or a trailer like he wanted. That will be next Saturday's adventure/photo opp. I was able to take a lot of photos for ABC Wednesday F is for... as well as Sky Watch Friday. Later I had to go to the store to get a desert for our Sweetheart's dinner at church. I found a flowing of streets that started with the letter F. So many that it was unreal as if they were falling from the sky.

I came home, made the two deserts of Jello Cookies & Cream as requested. I quickly made out the place cards for our older sweethearts we were honoring. I added red hearts besides their names and if their name had an i in it, that was dotted with a heart so that was more of my Create Everyday stuff which I haven't really done since I have been sick. Rhett and the other young people sang two songs. Naturally I got a photo of him singing. It was nice not having to cook supper. The smell from the bunson burners undearneath the food did not agree with me because I was coughing pretty bad and cold. I think my coughing is getting on Don's nerves. So I took 2 doses of robitussin, put my blue scarf around my shoulders like an old lady. Rhett & I re-watched "Knight Rider" in his room in his bed. I was all warm and toasty but not coughing. He was soon asleep.

Sunday we went to Golden Coral after church. Their mashed potatoes and popcorn shrimp reminded me of Morrison's Cafeteria when I was growing up which is a good memory for me. I remember my mom dressing me up on Friday nights so we could go downtown to eat then window shop. Those department stores are no longer there. They used to be decorated with moving characters at Christmas time. That is a dead art now.

Don got a piece of chocolate cake and gave me a bite. It was sheer heaven on my tongue. I went to get a piece for myself. I told Rhett "it was so good it would make you want to slap your momma, but you better not!" It was so good that if you knew you were dying tomorrow, that would be the desert you would want. You could die happy.

Rhett was crying with growing pains in his knee around 9 pm. I gave him a baby asprin, made him get in his bed to get it warm. He was soon fast asleep and I watched the Oscars from there while playing Bookworm. My eyes bothered me again from wearing make up. It was another good weekend.

Today I discovered a new blog but folks have had trouble getting into it. Try http://sendmessageinabottle.blogspot.com/ I hope to have my message(s) in a bottle soon...

If this doesn't work, I will tell you another route to go to it.

On Leah's blog today, at http://www.creativeeveryday.com/creativeeveryday/ had an idea from a book meme making the rounds again in which you to to page 123 of the book you are reading and share the 6th, 7th and 8th sentences on that page. The book I am reading Highland Vampire did not work in a positive enough manner for me so I chose the dictionary where I found the following...

"cheerful

See synonyms under BRIGHT.

beamish - (be' mish) adj. Radiant; beaming with light.

-from the New International Webster's Comprehensive Dictionary (1996)

Isn't that what we all want to be? I feel my photo also reflects that.

Luckily I found a dime today. Does that mean 10 people in heaven are thinking about me?

.

Color Battle

Colors
to fight off the dreariness of the rainy day
bright reds doing their best battle
blinding whites
navy notes across the page
not red with rage
just trying to survive the darker hues
fighting off the blues
that threaten to swallow me whole
pull me down into it's black pits
I vowed never to go there again.
You cannot make me sink into blackness!
As I am staring at Amberlaine hanging there,
Will she pull me out of the darkness?
Think amber thoughts today
use golden tones
Add some glow,
maybe a little glitter to the page of your life
But not too much
Don't over do
Save some for another drearier day this this.
~theRAV~

Inspirational quote of the day that is so appropriate after my poem:

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
~Eliabeth Kubler-Ross~

go to:
http://quoththerav3.blogspot.com/2008/02/amberlaine.html to see Amberlaine.

Sky Watch Friday - Night Shot

I know this isn't the best shot I have ever taken & it is very blury so I apologize, but I loved what I saw that one night this week. It is pine trees in a lighted park near where I grew up. The light is above the really white spot. You can sort of make it out. The wind was blowing which made it blur. I tried to re-take it, but got the same results. I loved the colors of it. I love the eerieness of it. It has been so deary & rainy for the past two days that I did not want to post blah photos. This one would not leave me alone. It kept calling to me... What called to you?
~theRAV~

Thankful Thursday 2/21/08

I have found a new thing; a new site; a new blog... it is called Thankful Thursday. If you would like to participate, please go to http://www.eph2810.com/

Earlier in the week on Tuesday I was thankful for my friend Cheryl who sent me a copy of a "Country Sampler" magazine through inter-office mail at work. At first I thought someone had sent me a whole bunch of word to do! LOL It was a most welcomed surprise. The magazine had some neat signs in it. So thanks, Cheryl.

Then yesterday I was reading my friend Abby's blog post about gratitude at http://abbykey.blogspot.com/ I was able to comment on her blog for the 1st time so I was thankful for that. So I am thankful of the small simple things in life. I told Abby I was thankful for EVERYTHING and I really am. I was thankful I was feeling better from my sore sore throat. I was thankful my Daddy was somewhat better. I was thankful Rhett's throat no longer hurt. But most of all I was thankful Rhett's project was over. I felt a load had been lifted off my shoulders. The above is a photo of the poster we made on Muhammad Ali. He got a 200 on it! It was my idea to do the name like we did it. So I am thankful to my muse as well as my God given talent.

Today I am thankful for the delicious free pizza we had at work so I did not have to get out in the rain. I am so thankful for my sense of humor and the fact that I am not an old, unhappy grouch like the woman I work with. I am thankful I am who I am where I am with the family I have whom I love and loves me.

I am thankful for my digital camera, all my photos I have taken thus far. I am thankful for my artistic abilities and pray they continue.... I am thankful for all my friends and I am thankful for my new art friends I haver "met" through blogs. I don't think I left anything out, did I?

What are you thankful for today?

More E words...

This is a subdivision I pass by several times every week. I never really paid that much attention to it until this week and got excited because it was an E word. It looks like it could use an Extreme make-over on this side. It was too hard to take the other side due to traffic flow in front of it. The other side was near perfect.

Before I took the Elon shot above, I was driving down the road thinking, "There have to be streets that start with the letter E..." I thought of calling my friend Patti in the tax office so she could tell me some E street names, but then I remembered this one near my mom's house and was estactic as I took this one. Then I found the house/castle of my dreams.

EJECT. This one was Rhett's idea. He tried to take it himself, but it kept coming out blurry. I finally managed to get a clearer shot of it. He drove me crazy looking for E words this week which I know was a good thing. We managed to fill up the 1st memory card yet again after I deleted a lot of quilt like patterns that didn't work for me.

I think I like this 2nd set of E words better that the 1st ones with the exception of Everett. Which E words do you prefer?

A B C Wednesday E is for...

Everett better known as Rhett. This is one of my fave photos of him.

The Eyes have it... by theRAV. I was going to use just the single orginal but then I saw where I lined them all up to form this... It is one of my favorite astracts I have done so far.

Rhett's eyeball frisbee

El Vaquero, a Mexican place we often go to eat, but not this location. When I first took this photo, it was because it said may every day being a fiesta. And it should be one.

I was going to use Daddy's photo again as Edgar Franklin, but didn't want to repeat myself. He is doing better. My sore throat is better also and so is Rhett's. I still have more E words to come in the next post.... but you probably figured that by now.

Odd Shot Monday

I noticed my mom had some limbs cut down in her yard and these stick out like sore orange thumbs to me for some reason. They remind me of sweet potatoes that my mom always made when she would cut the ends off of them and bake them. They turn out about this color. I don't cook like she does. I microwave mine like bake potatoes and add butter. Maybe I will fix some for supper tonight...I took this at an odd angle on purpose.
~theRAV~

If you would like to participate in Odd Shot Monday, go to the following: http://katneyskaboodle.blogspot.com/ where there is a previous post with the rules.

Sunday Morning Dream

Saturday, I took Daddy to the bank even though he wasn't well enough to go. I saw a former co-worker from JCP who told me I probably needed to get a lawyer to get power of attorney, but my mom is on his accounts so I do not have to go down that road yet.

Rhett & I hit the library for a couple of hours. Afterwards we went back by my folk's so I could go to the grocery store for them as well as us. I made meat loaf for supper which Don had been wanting for about a week. It was good as always and I ate too much including lemon pie which I should not have had so late. I did not sleep well. I could hear myself wheezing in my throat which woke me up. I had to get up to use my inhaler and take more cough syrup.

I had a dream... I was walking downtown in the historic district of Columbus when I saw Lyn Neilson who wrote the book Place of Sage. She was driving in a beige vw beetle with her Place of Sage logo on the side of the car. She was in my hometown to promote her new book. I stopped in my tracks, and said,"Lyn..." Luckily it was warm and her window was down so she heard me and stopped. I walked over to her and I told her it was nice to finally meet her. And I felt as if I had actually met her. It was a good feeling. Like seeing a friend.

I am sure the dream came about because I told Lefty about it Friday night. I knew I'd had a Valentine email from Lyn on my emails, but had not opened it yet. Needless to say I did read it last night, forwarded it to my friend Penny as well as replied to Lyn, telling her the above dream. I thought it might be an encouragement for her.

Rhett & I stayed home from church because we didn't want to give anyone our kooties! I finished my book I was reading. Not every creative, but just didn't feel like being creative.

The Rest of Yesterday into the Morrow

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be aided by someone more knowledgeable than me about digital camera cards. It seemed mine was locked and I didn't know how I managed to lock it. I asked the deputy warden and he showed me how I must have locked it without knowing I did it. Problem solved. I told him he made my day. My best friend Penny did that also in an email by telling me I was her family.

As I was driving home, the light blue sky was turning partially darker blue, the darkest parts being clumps of clouds. I noticed a very viney section out of my left eye's view and an eerie looking tree against the darkening dusty horizon. The fact that this would be the vampire's awakening hour came to mind. This would be the perfect setting for a vampiric novel I am yet to write. Just as I was getting mesmerized into these thoughts with such descriptive words whirling by on a runaway conveyor belt in my brain, bright car lights suddenly blinded me, bringing me back to reality. I had to laugh at myself and shook my head as I drove on to the Krystal to pick up supper for my family. Nobody dies going to the Krystal. They may feel like it after those tiny burgers drop in their stomachs like bombs. My friend Lefty used to call them "Sliders" because they slid on right on through you. Nobody would be a victim of a vampire here tonight. Or would they? Hee. Hee. It is hard to insert an evil laugh here.

I had a good day despite all the pettiness still going on at work which isn't worth writing about; despite my bad coughing spell requiring my inhaler & a trip to the nurse for cough syrup. I seem calmer as I wrote this inside the Krystal last night.

Yesterday I found a new E word for ABC Wednesday. I think it is an e word no one else will have. It is a word I pass by almost weekly.

As I was departing with our food, I saw a young guy who could pass as a wolf man! The "Twilight Zone" theme playing now as I walked to my car. I sat in my car writing this post while waiting for the Krystal to steam in their clear plastic bag. Should I wait to see what sort of vehicle this wolfish looking guy drives? Nah. Not unless he came out in five minutes. Besides there were too many big trucks and SUV's blocking my view.

What was really weird that happened later was this... I'd been thinking about a friend, Lefty and lo he called at 9 pm! He was checking if I'd heard from my best friend Penny. While I had him on the phone, I asked him what he used to call Krystals and he told me. At least I didn't stay awake trying to remember. LOL You probably thought I was gonna say the wolf guy followed me home, didn't you?

I read what was on one of the Krystal boxes to Don. I took a photo of what was written on the Krystal box because I found it funny. And since my friend Abby says every post needs a photo, there it is...

"Vegas" was very good last night. I KNEW Tom Selleck's character was NOT going to die. It seems my "feelings" have returned again. Rhett & Don slept on the couch through it while I was wide awake.

Rhett woke up in the night with a sore throat. I guess he caught it from me. Poor baby.

I picked up last year's Gratitude journal to see if we went to the hunting land at the same time of year. We were off by a couple of days. It has been a year since The Episode at work. Then I saw where I took Daddy to the hospital on the 19th. He wasn't sick for his birthday last year, but got sick afterwards. We have had our dishwasher for a year now. Thank goodness it still works because I hate to wash dishes!

I had to take Daddy to the bank today although he is very weak and stumbling, but being a typical man, too stubborn to let me hold on to him. I saw an old JCP co-worker there, David, who has put on weight since being married and since the last time I saw him.

And so it begins... I think I am going to HAVE to take over my father's finances. It is so sad to see your parents deteriorating before your eyes. My mom seems to have gone deaf now too. I am not complaining; just very thankful to have them still here.

Rhett & I went to Dinglewood for lunch before tacklng his project at the library. I didn't want to eat chili because it might burn my still raw throat. I ordered a grilled cheese instead. They placed it before me and it was simply toast with melted cheese. I spoke before I realized I could be overheard at the counter. I said,"I could make a better grilled cheese than this" which had the waitress mumbling. Rhett asked me what was wrong with it. I said it didn't have any butter on it. One waitress was looking in the mirror over her head and she said to the mirror looking directly at me that they didn't put butter on them. I pushed the sandwich to the side. So I ordered a chicken salad sandwich instead. I only ate half of it which is a good thing. Rhett didn't eat all of his chili dog so I took the leftovers back to mom's, mailed Daddy's letter and went to the library.

It was sort of neat looking up Muhammad Ali because I could remember all his fights being televised. I was apart of that history. I watched it happen. He was an Olympic gold medalist and his life came full circle the year he carried the torch at the Olympics in Atlanta, Ga..

Sky Watch Watch Friday...Part 3

We took these golden sunsets on the way home last night after I found my dream home that looks like a modern day castle. It is for sale. I even took Rhett by to see it. I'd been around it 3 or 4 times. A man was standing out in his yard watching me go by probably thinking I was a stalker! I think they were having an open house there because there were lots of cars and all the lights were on inside. The only thing I didn't like was one window downstairs that looked as if it could be broken into easily. I was already installing burglar bars on it in my mind. It probably has an alarm system anyway. Don probably won't go for it.

I love Golden sunsets that ...

become oranger and oranger by the moment...

until it looks almost like a golden fish tail; a gold fish. Am I sensing a theme here? This is the end of this Sky Watch Friday's "photos fest" as my friend Cheryl called my Valentine's post. Thanks for the new termonology, Cheryl.

First, I must thank everyone who has been kind enough to leave me comments. I can't always get into your blogs to answer. I really appreciate the comments especially the prayers on my father's behalf. Its nice to know there are fellow Georgians out there as well as hearing from folks far, far away that I would never have dreamed possible. The internet is a wonderful thing.

An update: I had to take Daddy back to the dr yesterday & they gave him more meds plus an inhaler which he couldn't get to work properly. Since I have to use one myself, I tried to show him, but I ended up just spraying it inside his mouth and made him wash it down with some liquid. He was able to sleep some last night and so did my mom. Thank goodness. I have been suffering with a sore throat and cough since Wednesday, but I am still taking oodles of pictures as you can see... I guess I will be buried with my camera when I die. LOL No, I will pass it on to Rhett so he can hopefully continue this legacy of mine.

Tell me which ones you liked as I am sure you will. I am loving this project of Sky Watch Friday because it makes me so much aware of my surroundings, appreciate the beauty of the skies even on dark days, makes me happy and excited about my life and what I see. Hope it makes you feel the same way. If you would like to participate, please go to: http://strollingthroughgeorgia.blogspot.com/

I also created a card idea today. Not the greatest I've done, but it was still creating something as I try to do everyday. Bella reminded me of paint on the computer which is what I used to create today. I have not used it in long time so it was fun. I read a really, really good poem on McCabe's blog http://dancingmermaid.com/ that touched my soul. She has such a way with words. She has a challenge to write 9 poems in a week. Anyone up for that? What touched your soul today?

Please see previous posts.

~theRAV~

Sky Watch Friday... Part 2

Took this golden sunset this week that looks like it is on fire....

Saw these birds on the light post outside work one cloudy day this week. Zoomed in as much as I possibly could with my camera.

Love the blue color of the sky in this one. I took this because of the black pods that opened. I like the white lines of the tree limbs as contrast in it. I really liked the differing colors, contrasts and themes in these three photos, giving it variety.

~theRAV~

Sky Watch Friday on a Sat in the Woods Part 1

Last Saturday we went to the hunting land so Don could get his 2 tree climber stands. I liked the way the sunlight sparkled on the leaves of the pine tree in this one as well as the periwinkle color of the sky.

Rhett held this fragile leaf up just so I could snap this one. It was not exactly how I wanted it but it was hard to hold the leaf as well as the camera at the same time. When you click on it, it is much better and is the effect I wanted. You can see I need to cut Rhett's nails! This long thumb nail reminds me of Don's.

We tried many times to capture rocks, sizeable pieces of wood, large pieces of tree bark as they hit the water to capture splashes, but we got mostly ripples instead. The camera stopped it almost every time. We did manage a least a few splashes. I decided to post this shot because it showed more of the beautiful sky that one special day in our lives that we will remember always.... It was hot enough I got a little sunburned on my naked face in February! No, there is no aligators in the water either.

There is still more to come... please see next posts... ~theRAV~

Valentine's 2008 (updated)

This photo has a story behind it.... When we went to an American Legion Halloween party a few years ago, this skeleton was on our table so we brought him home with us. For a long while he hung out over the stove until Don moved him to the fridge behind my red berry heart wreath magnet. When I got my digital camera this summer, I took this 1st shot of it. I knew then I would either use it in the scrapbook for Halloween or Valentine's or both. I came up with this caption for it: "I love you to death." I could just see it on a postcard... or a stamp at zazzle.com.

another view of it with a heart and lips magnets ....

This week I made it into a scrapbook style. It doesn't look good here to me, but since this was what I created this week, I had to post it. I made about 10 of these. I got my background paper mixed up on one where I had a red background instead of black then red. That mistake will probably be the one to go in the scrapbook. I did not send all 10 of them out as I planned. I sent it as an email instead except to my friend Patti. I sent her's through inter-office mail.

I bought these cool frames at Walmart last week. I bought one for myself for work, one for Don and one for my parents. As I was cropping the photo from Christmas this morning to fit the frame, I realized I needed a vertical picture so I wasn't real happy with it at 1st. Even thought of taking them back, but I improvised... I turned it on it's side making it unique. Then I was quite happy with it. It doesn't take much for me. It was calling me to take a photo of it so I did and there you have it.... No, that is not a green bugger coming out of my nostril if you click on it! Its a piece of glitter inside the frame. I just entered the last one in Odd Shots Monday but I forgot to write down the link to it. Sorry. I'll add it later...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am suffering with just a sore throat, but it is better today than it was yesterday. I was running fever & miserable. Rhett & I did not go to church. I am taking Daddy back to the dr this afternoon after I pick up Rhett. I thought I'd caught it from Daddy on his birthday while he opened his presents and had a bad coughing spell. Poor thing.

Today I am not going to spoil this by writing about all the petty things that are going on at work.

I had a wonderful Valentine's. My guys took me to a chinese place to eat that is near our house. The food was better than usual. I had some of the best shrimp with crab meat in a sauce. It was almost as good as that chinese place we ate at in Little Rock on our last BIG vacation. Don gave me a golden amber colored ring. Like I needed another ring! LOL. We rushed home to see "Lost". The 1st episode we missed 25 mins of but luckily it was repeat. Don wanted to see it worse than I did! I curled up underneath the hot pink blanket/throw Elisa gave me for Christmas. Now every time I do this, I either doze or go to sleep. I dozed off during "Lost" so I was lost! I took medicine for my sore throat and cough and went to bed early. Hope your's was a good as mine.

More D words...

D is for... Dixie. I am proud to be from the south. I am a Southern belle. I love my south. Sometimes I can't believe I married a Yankee!

My Daddy at Christmas, 2007. Yesterday was his 83rd birthday and he has a bad case of bronchitus so please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.

Don at Christmas, 2007. Git-R-Done, Don!