Farewell, 2011

The final hour quickly draws near
in which we lay to rest this year.

It matters not how we felt
About the hand which we were dealt,

There is never any turning back,
Even though some successes we lack.

Farewell, my beloved year 2011,
At times I thought of you as hell but more often, as heaven.

No Walt Whitman am I, and so, in parting, I leave you his words:

O Captain! My Captain! O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; 20 Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. Walt Whitman

Happy New Year.

In With a Bang...

...out with a FIZZ-le. It might be New Years Eve. It might even be time for Saturday Centus. But this girl's got a head cohd with a stuffed dohz. So, while some people are partying it up and making plans, I say Resolution! Schmezolution!* and I'm crawling back in bed with the covers over my head. For the rest of you, Happy New Year!

To see how Mrs. Jenny and the other *Centusians are faring, click here. 

Waitin' on the World to Change...

...or maybe just waiting for the year to come to its end and the new one to begin...

...or maybe simply enjoying a moment of attention from Papa and without Albert.

Wrapping It Up

Most of the fall we had snow on the ground and frigid temps. Here we are now, only days away from the New Year, and the weather is more like fall than winter. Today's high was nearly 50 and the snow and ice are melting to reveal the remnants of fall colors.

The impatient ice fishermen seem to love fishing more than life itself. The ice is thin and patchy and the water beneath it is deadly cold. No way I'd be out there. I can't decide if it's a sign of hope...or foolishness. 

As I wrap up 2011, my thoughts turn to the year ahead.

I started this blog on Christmas Eve one year ago with the purpose of "forcing" myself to work on my photography with purpose...a 365 project. It's been many things to me...at times frustrating, at times consuming, but mostly fun.  It's given me a vital creative outlet. It's allowed me to make new friends and acquaintances. It's helped me to hone my photo skills and develop some new ones as I experimented with new techniques.

So, what will I do in 2012? Not entirely sure yet.

Definitely keep shooting.

Maybe talk my friend, Sue, into doing another photo-poetry book.

Perhaps find a youth program in which to teach photography.

Do some work for Operation Love Reunited, if they'll have me.

Work on seeing the beauty that surrounds me each and every day.

Express my gratitude for all that I've been given by trying to give back where I can.

Love more. Laugh more. Live better.

p.s. and since it's Thursday, our winter break assignment for Alphabe-Thursday over at Mrs. Jenny's was to do a new year post. Click here to see what the other Alphabetians have to say...

Happy New Year to one and all!

Fast Forward...

Christmas is over. Time to prepare for Easter?

Haha. No. Just a few new little friends we made while at the supply store today. Thump's little cousins. Cute, aren't they?

The Angels Have Flown...

Everyone has left ... they made the long overnight trek across the desert and are safe and sound in their own beds.

The tree is down, ornaments ready to be boxed and put away until next year. 

The house is quiet. All that's left to do is the clean-up. Time to ring out the old and welcome the new year.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the family visit. I can't think of a better way to have spent Christmas, but the time has come for them to return home.

One last walk in the snow.

One last visit to the frozen pond to see the swans.

One last time to feed the horses and see the neighborhood kitties.

Somehow, in the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we failed to notice the official passing from fall to winter. A few remnants remain...

Farewell my beloved family. While your footprints will disappear under the warming sun or the falling snow, my love for you will always remain in my heart. God be with you 'til we meet again. 

Aaahhh...

Gifts were exchanged. Church was attended. Food was eaten. And now, time to breathe...and just be.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, just like we did!

Joyful Noise

It’s Christmas eve. The family’s here. The little people have all but taken over our lives. We’ve played in the snow. 

We’ve baked cookies for Santa, hoping the sweet smell wafting into the sky would draw him to our house before he gets too tired. 

We’ve sprinkled reindeer food to help Rudolf and company find our home, just in case. We’ve cooked, eaten too much, and washed tons of dishes multiple times over and we’ll do it just as many times again before the hustle and bustle dies down.

It’s been the best possible kind of busy at our house this week, the most charming form of chaotic. And even with all that has been going on, I heard an angel voice through the chaos and the noise*...or so I thought. But then I realized that the joyful noise and delightful chaos actually WAS the angels, themselves! 

Merry Christmas to all. I hope you are enjoying this special time when we celebrate the Savior’s birth surrounded by the love of friends and family.




*It's Christmas Eve, and it's also Saturday Centus time...the prompt given by Mrs. Jenny this week is in red above...see what other Centusians did with this angelic idea!