Stuff

Not much new here, in fact I realized yesterday as we went out to run errands that I hadn't been down the lane for almost a full week!  That's what feeling yucky will do to you, it will turn you into a hermit...but then again, being a hermit is sometimes a good thing.

But the whole not feeling well seems to have subsided, so now who knows where I will go...look out world, here I come, well at least the grocery store anyway! ;-)

Though I've stayed put this past week, I have been wandering around my yard, and I even made some yummy zucchini bread.  And the tomatoes are coming in fast and furious, so I shared some zucchini bread and some tomatoes with my neighbor.

Along with the wildlife and quiet nature of this place, another thing I love about my home are the neighbors.  Though we come together for parties and luncheons, we also have that lovely balance of leaving one another alone...well until we have too many tomatoes, or we need a cup of sugar...so it's perfect!

The morning glories are finally blooming.  They've had so much rain this year that they haven't been as quick to bloom.  Morning glories flower best when they are stressed, such as during times of drought or high heat.  I don't mind that they haven't been as prolific this year, because their foliage is still one of my favorites and their leaves have cloaked our fence line in a truly beautiful way.

 And speaking of beautiful, the weather has taken a turn for the better and we have actually been sitting outside in the hammock and on our patio for the past few days.  It has been heavenly, and a welcome reprieve from the scorching hot days of the last several weeks.

I hope each of you are having a wonderful weekend.  I'm off to do a load of laundry...the down side of feeling better, but hey, I'll take it!  Enjoy your day!

In Focus

I have a love hate relationship with my macro lens.

I love how close I can shoot some things, though I wish the lens would allow me to focus right on top of something, which it won't. :(  And the depth of field is incredibly fickle, even with a fairly tiny aperture.

But I still find more things to like about it than things I don't like, so for now I will be content with the shots I can get and not focus on the shots I can't get.  

See the dragonfly pic above...see those tiny round things on the back end of the dragonfly...those are eggs!  And if you follow the tail up you can see a few more eggs which I assume will soon be laid.  In my perfect macro lens world I would be able to get the whole dragonfly in focus...and be really, really close...close enough to see each of those tiny little eggs!

And in my perfect macro lens world, insects would stand perfectly still and let me take as much time as I want to capture their amazing detail.

But then I wouldn't have to work hard in order to get each shot...and life would be practically perfect, and where's the fun in that?!

The dragonfly agrees.

And deep down I know it's not the camera's fault or even the fault of my macro lens, it has more to do with my weird obsession with wanting everything in perfect focus, well when I want everything to be in focus anyway.  It's a complicated emotion folks, and I don't claim to be able to explain my weirdness! :)

This week has been a mixed bag of emotions.  Today I had lunch with friends, it was wonderful to get together and it was even more special to be able to celebrate someone's 88th birthday!  Mr. Tide has been working non stop, it comes with the territory of his job, and though I know what he does is very important, sometimes I worry about the toll it takes on him.  And yesterday I got a phone call that a dear old friend had unexpectedly lost his son...his only child, and someone who was way too young to go.  My heart breaks for him and his wife, and their loss has hit me hard.

 Life is sometimes like me and my macro lens, it isn't perfect, it's sometimes hard to deal with, but when you focus on the right parts, you really are able to capture its beauty.  Hug those you love tight my friends and focus on the good things in life.  It's as close to perfection as you will ever come.  

Bringing the Outside In

After I posted the dragonfly pictures and video yesterday, I started thinking about how we incorporate elements of nature into interior design and decor, jewelry, and all sorts of accessories, both for our homes and for our wardrobes.  And as I wandered around my house, I realized that my love of dragonflies extends far beyond my picture taking.

These are the pulls in my master bathroom.  I bought them 4 years ago at Lowes to dress up the all white vanity.   I never noticed it before, but their shadow casts a golden glow behind them when the sun hits them during the day, so pretty!

I love how designers will take something in nature and create a beautiful item for us to adorn ourselves or our homes with...

Like these earrings which I've had for years.  I wore them yesterday without even thinking about it since they are a favorite of mine.

Or this carved rock that sits on my back patio.  My in-laws gave it to me a few years ago, and I love the color and the dragonfly motif!

Apparently this little dragonfly sensed my love of his or her brethren...maybe it was the earrings?!

I even have dragonfly notecards.  This lovely set from Papyrus was a gift from my daughter.  I love how the gold foil accents the details of the dragonfly!

I'm also happy Jo, that you saw the post yesterday, but I'm sorry I made you cry! :-(  Please send me an email if you get the chance, I have a little something I would like to send you.


In other BIG news, be sure to pop by Karen from This Old House 2's blog for her Dog Days Bid & Bark Sale!

She has some great items for sale to try and raise money for a local Shelter Dogs & Puppies Adoption Event to be held in August!  You know how dogs are very near and dear to my heart, so I've donated one of my framed floral prints!

To purchase this print (which is framed in a distressed shabby chic frame and features one of my 8 x 10 white pitcher prints, the overall frame size is 17 1/2 wide by 15 1/2 tall), and to see all of the other great items up for sale, click HERE! 

Dream a Little Dream

I'm zooming around trying to get 2 stories done, and we have a contract on my parent's house...YAY!  So that means inspections and meeting with people to get everything nailed down, but we are so happy!  The people buying the house couldn't be more perfect, and I know my parents would be pleased, so you can't ask for more than that.  We've bought and sold a few houses in our time, so I try not to get too excited until everything is on the dotted line and we hand the keys over, so please say a little prayer for us that everything goes as smooth as silk.

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful comments on my last post about my not so pretty garage, it's good to know that I'm not alone!  And I apologize for not returning emails and comments, but I should be back on track after the holiday weekend.

Yesterday, I went down to the dock for a brief respite from everything else that is going on and like a good bloggy girl I took the camera with me.  I was pleasantly surprised by all of the sweet dragonflies that were having a grand time down by the water.  They are so fast, and their colors are just gorgeous!  I was able to capture a few types of blue ones (they had different patterns on their wings) and the brightest neon green ones, but the red ones eluded me...maybe next time!

I've put together a little video of these delicate creatures, who seemed to almost pose for me.  This video is dedicated to Jo...if you are reading this Jo, I hope these dragonflies will remind you of your husband and bring a smile to your face!