180/365

Basket of Yarn

Right now I'm working on a baby blanket and storing the extra yarn in this basket which lives on the window sill in my room  It's just the two shades of grey and white but in order to take the photo I needed some other skeins to fill in the basket.  

I never thought of using extra yarn in a basket as a decor statement until I saw a friend of mine do it in her home.  I love the idea, but not sure I want to do it myself.

My heart is grateful for:

my hobbies

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Flowers on Cake 2

Homemade flowers on homemade mini cake.

My heart is grateful:

for all the errands I was able to finish today

178/365

Decor in a Coffee Shop

Yesterday I was in this coffee shop, not my fave, for our monthly bookgroup.  While I was waiting for the others to arrive, I noticed this artificial plant positioned in the corner and I thought it looked so nice.

Today I bought another live plant for my house.  I'd better be careful, now that I've decided I'll be here long enough to decorate with plants.  I love houseplants, but sometimes one too many plants is one too many.

I'm grateful for:

nature

177/365

Finally Finished

I started this quilt about 2.5 years ago and it was intended for a grandson's wedding gift.  Well, the wedding didn't happen yet, he tells me it will be in Nov of this year.  

I'm so glad to finally have the reason to get it quilted and finished.

My heart is grateful for:

my sewing machine that has given me hours of a pleasurable hobby

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Sunflower Decor

Desperate for a photo op.  This is on my dining room table.

My heart ids grateful for:

Having a good bookgroup meeting to discuss

"The Other Einstein" by Marie Benedict

175/365

Abandoned Mailboxes

The other day I was walking around downtown and I came across these abandoned mailboxes in front of a house that also looked abandoned.  I took a long shot of both, then a closer shot of the mailboxes and I like this one better.  

Whenever I see an abandoned house, whether in the country or within a city/town it makes me so sad.  Just thinking that once upon a time it was probably someone's special home.  Did they raise their children there?  Was it their first home?  Did they have fun decorating it to make it their special place?  Did their children celebrate their high school graduation with a party in the yard?

We'll never know.

Today I'm grateful for:

being able to tell my children about their history and having photos to share with them

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Chair and Empty Space

A couple of weeks ago I saw a list of photo prompts online and one of them was "negative space".  I've done that before, and since I saw the idea I've been looking.  It's not easy to find such a scene, but I think this works. 

I'm grateful today for:

the birth of my 8th grandchild this afternoon 

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Retro LampPost

This replica of a retro lamppost is located in a small park in Anson, Texas.  There were about 5-6 of them scattered throughout the park.  

Grateful today for:

spending time with a friend finishing a quilt I started about 3 years ago

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Jones County Courthouse

This courthouse is located in Anson, Texas in Jones County.  Anson was once called Jones City, but the name was later changed to Anson.  In front of the main entrance to the building is a sculpture of Anson Jones, who was the  last president of the Republic of Texas.  

The structure is made of brick and red sandstone and Lady Liberty is atop the clock dome. 

I'm grateful for:

air conditioning

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Steps

At the Abilene State Park there is a concession building made from red sandstone and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps  during the depression.  The building is really beautiful but I was intrigued by this staircase.

My heart is grateful for:

getting a spur-of-the-moment photo assistant job today (even though it was outdoors in 108 temps)

170/365

Antique Coffee Grinder

I've been looking for one of these for a long time and I finally found exactly the one I wanted the other day, Now the trick is to display it in my house so I can enjoy it, even though there isn't much display area in my house.  

Such a little thing to give so much pleasure.

My heart is grateful for:

finding the perfect thing at the perfect time

169/365

Mini Models

I'm amazed I got a shot even this good considering how we were rushing to get done before the skies opened up with the threatening rain and it was just a cell phone image.  I'd love to go back and try it again with my grown-up camera and a little more time.

Feeling grateful for:

the fun we had on our little walk after our dinner

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Classic Tractor

I tried to get inside the chain link fence, but no luck.  This was the best I could do with my cell phone.

Grateful for:

memories

167/365

Three Kiddos

These three fit "birth order" so well.

My heart is grateful for:

Time spent with the grands

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The Rainbow

I'm falling behind on the "daily" photo again.  It's so frustrating.  Partly because some of my days seem to fall apart but largely because there just doesn't seem to be anything worth my effort to photograph.

I know that isn't really a thing.  I could set up a scene in my house, I could travel to areas where I haven't been for a while, I could find inspiration online...

Anyway, I was at my daughter's the other day when it rained and then there was this beautiful rainbow.  I had my grown-up camera with me, but I took this with my phone, so it's not as good as it could have been, but it's pretty awesome nonetheless.  It's been a very, very long time since I've been anywhere where I could see the entire rainbow from end to end.  

My heart is grateful:

for the rainbow as God's promise to His people

165/365

Street Art

I've seen this mural many times recently, but there were always cars parked right in front of it so it was too difficult to get a good photo.  Yesterday, however, I used my cell phone and I was able to get right on the sidewalk, so the cars didn't interfere at all.  

I love the colors and the design.  Such a "happy" mural.

My heart is happy for:

being able to spend some time with the grandkids today

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Kid's Art        

While I was waiting for a meeting to start, I went into my fave coffee shop to wait where it was cooler.  I stepped into a little alcove where I don't usually go and I saw this display on the wall.  How cool is this that they display kid's artwork?

Today I'm grateful for:

keeping up with these posts for 164 days  

163/365

Apartment Building

Looking up at an apartment building in Sarasota, FL just blocks from the marina.  

My heart is grateful for:

helpful medical proceedures

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Flags

At a football game, this would be called a "half-time" show, but I don't know what they call it at a rodeo.  In between events, these girls performed a synchronized riding even that was pretty impressive.  

Today my heart is grateful for:

good coffee

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Getting ready to open the Chute

My heart is grateful for:

a walk along the lake this morning with two good friends

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The Rodeo

There's an annual rodeo in Coleman, TX which is one of the only outdoor rodeos that's anywhere near to me.  I've been several times and just love it.  It begins at 8 pm so there's still enough light to get some good photos even though I don't have the best lens for low light.  I considered renting one for the event, but I have a lot of bigger bills that come due in June, so I just dealt with what I have.

Fortunately, the first event, while still pretty light, is the bronc riding.  I had a difficult time deciding which "one" image to use for this post.  So here ya go.

I'm grateful for:

living where cowboys still rock the world

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A Cluster of Cacti

Three of us took a walk through the park at the lake this morning.  They were both looking for flowers (of which there were many because of all the rain we've had lately), but I'm not a gardener so I was just hoping for some photo ops.  

I finally saw this cluster of cacti, post-bloom, but in very good condition.  That doesn't happen too often, so I grabbed a shot of them.  

After our little trek, one of the ladies and I headed over to an estate sale, I bought a bed for the spare bedroom, she bought some odds and ends.  Some guys at the estate sale graciously loaded the bed onto her truck and the two of us unloaded it at my house, got it all set up and then we went for lunch to a local Greek place.  

I'm grateful today for:

friends who are wiling to help in times of need

158/365

The Beginning of the Parade

Abilene hosts a parade each year celebrating CALF (Children's Art and Literacy Festival) that takes place mid-June.  The town is know as the Storybook Capital of America with storybook statues in two of the downtown parks.  

It's a big deal for the town.  There was a huge turn-out for the parade.

My heart is grateful today:

that I walked over 12,000 steps today

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Shakelford County Courthouse

This is the courthouse in the town square in Albany, TX, with a gazebo off to the side.  The building is sooooo beautiful.  It was built in 1883, by mostly Scottish stone masons.  They used native limestone which they brought to town from a nearby quarry.

My heart is grateful for:

my new pothos plant that is decorating my living room

156/365

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time this was someone's brand new car, possibly their dream car, most likely the car that transported them and their family around town and to favorite vacations spots.

Now it just sits, abandoned, alone, in disrepair, rusty and falling apart day by day.  There were others like this within this chain link enclosure. It makes me wonder why some retro car devotee hasn't managed to acquire it and restore it.  hmmmm

My heart is grateful for:

the sore muscle in my arm feeling better~~maybe it's on the mend and I can get back to the gym in a few days

155/365

Looking Up at Colorful Umbrellas

In the town of Safety Harbor, FL, there's an artsy neighborhood.  My friend and I were walking around and came upon this area containing displays and this colorful montage of umbrellas hanging from the ceiling.  

An irresistible photo op.

My heart is grateful for:

the fun luncheon I shared with 10 other people from church today

 

154/365

Zooming Umbrellas

We were hoping it would rain so we could practice reflections in the puddles, but it never did rain.  So I tried this zooming effect instead.  I haven't practiced this for years and it's difficult to do when hand holding the camera, but I think it's kind of interesting.

I discarded many, many images while searching for one that was tolerable.  Back in the "film" days, pro photographers would say that if you came home with one good image out of 100, then you had a good day.  I get that!

Today my heart is grateful for:

digital cameras  

153/365

Addax at the Abilene, TX zoo

The weather was beautiful and for once these animals were in a cluster.  They're usually scattered throughout the enclosure and too far away for my lens to get a good photo.

This zoo is like a little gem in an oasis, but it's not photographer friendly, so whenever I get even a decent photo of one of the animals I feel like I've scored big time.

My heart is grateful today for:

 A new recipe I had at my daughter's house tonight and one that 

I'm going to try myself, white chili

152/365

Bicycle Boutique

Biking seems to be a favorite pastime in small seaside towns in Florida.  

I've never seen a bike rental shop like this one.  So cute.

My heart is grateful for:

the amazing smell of fresh mown grass