Raindrops keep fallin' on my clothesline?

Yes, I know.  It's been WAY too long since I last posted.  It's been way too long since I took pictures just for me or to experiment or have fun.  So, on this very dreary, rainy (but almost 60 degree) January Sunday, I grabbed the opportunity to see what kind of shots I could get of the raindrops hanging from the clothesline.

I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of them.  Pleasant surprises have been on the agenda recently, so I hope it continues a while longer!  In addition to the typical family crazy schedule, I finally landed a job (although just part time) at the Friendliest (and Busiest) Place on Earth.  This past Friday was my first day out of training, so I'm still learning a whole lotta stuff!  The residents have been very nice and welcoming, and the staff is as well (and they're a lot of fun to be around, at least so far).

Those streaks in the background?  That's the rain falling.  Didn't know I was catching it, but oh, so glad I did.

For some odd reason, I am fascinated by the raindrops that just hang from the bottom of the clothesline, feeder poles, and eaves. These didn't fall . . . maybe it's the perseverance I appreciate.

This one was really a two-fold surprise.  One was catching that raindrop streak; two was the tree reflection in the raindrop!  I certainly didn't notice it when I took the picture.  Serendipitous wonder!

For this one, I liked the 3 different shapes/sizes of the drops, yet all reflect the trees in the distance.

I have greatly missed taking pics for fun or experimentation.  So much going on that has kept me from it (not just the weather).  I'm going to have to once again MAKE the time to take my little excursions into experimentation.  So much to learn, keeping in mind perspective and perseverance I'm so inspired by.  To borrow Nike's phrase:  Just DO It!

Fall "Surprise"

I don't know why I keep thinking things are going to slow down soon.  Just about the time I think I'm going to be able to take some real time for myself, something else pops up to put me back on that never ending treadmill.

Yesterday, I had fully intended to take advantage of a nice day and mow the lawn.  Don't ask me what kept me from it, but I managed to be busy until well after sunset.  Knowing the weather forecast and my schedule, that meant this morning was the only time I'd have to fit it in; so much for sleeping in a little.

Several days ago I had noticed some buds on a couple of my daisy plants.  I'd forgotten they were the type that bloom in the fall and had written them off for blooming this year.  It was a very nice pick-me-up to see a couple in bloom and LOTS of buds when I headed out to the garage to get the lawn mower.  It was nice enough that I headed back inside to grab the camera for just a few shots.

Even though it was a slightly overcast morning, these daisies certainly brightened up my day and my mood (which is pretty amazing since I am in no way, shape, or form, a morning person).

Look at all of those buds just waiting to bloom!  It's going to be a fall full of smiles for me!  Love my daisies (and the Daisy they remind me of).

I get a kick out of the way the buds open and the petals bloom . . . sometimes they seem to open perfectly all at once, while other times they seem to open in stages.  It would be interesting to watch on time lapse photography, but I'm not ready to do much more than consider it ever so briefly!

Now that it's after 10 p.m. and I'm posting, I'm enjoying the sunny disposition of the daisies more than I did this morning!  I spent several hours at our local high school football game selling tickets (actually, I only sold 3 tickets; I spent most of my time telling people they can't smoke on school grounds or directing traffic).  I do enjoy it, but this was the 5th home game, and the 4th one where it has rained.  I went prepared w/ large golf umbrella and poncho, so I wasn't much more than a little damp, but it certainly was dreary and very nice to get back home!

To see these happy little flowers again is the icing on a pretty darn good day.  I think I'll have to refer to these as my Daisy daisies since they cheer me up when it's dreary, just like the Daisy they remind me of.

Plans??

I had such wonderful plans for today . . . and the part of the day I was most looking forward to?  Postponed.  Bummer.  I had been looking forward to a short road trip w/ a high school friend to meet another high school friend and just hang out for a while.  But, life intervened again, I didn't get my way.

It's a icky rainy day here in SW Ohio, but I was looking forward to being w/ some sunny dispositions and laughing over stupid little things that girlfriends can find to laugh about.  I did get a little of that in, but not enough!  Met up w/ a group of ladies for lunch at Applebee's, which was a nice mix of personalities.  There were 5 of us, and 4 of us had gone to high school together (yes, 4/14/2012 must be high school not quite reunion day); I hadn't seen one of the ladies since we'd had a Spanish class together way back when.  Another of the ladies was the high school friend I was going with on our road trip . . .

But, fate intervened.  On my way to Applebee's, I was just buzzing along, singing w/ the radio, when the dreaded "Check Engine" light came on.  Since the last time I'd had that experience, the alternator went out, I started assuming the worst.  Fortunately, I was almost at Applebee's and the dealership that now services my Saturn Ion was just about 1/4 mile further down the road.  So, I had lunch w/ the lovely ladies, and then drove the car on over to the service department.

And just what wonderful news awaits me at the door to service?  They are only open until 3 p.m., and that's when we were supposed to be meeting our friend about 45 minutes away.  It was almost 1 p.m., so chances of making that happen were slim.  Crappity crap crap CRAP.

So, I called my friend in Indiana and explained to her what had happened, and we agreed to meet up again after she got moved and a few other things out of the way.  By that time, the other friend arrived to meet me, and I told her we'd have to reschedule.  The good news is that neither of us really wanted to be driving in the crappy weather, especially since the weather in Indiana was worse than what we were experiencing.

Instead of hanging out with friends and talking and laughing, I sat at the dealership with a few other people I didn't know who maintained their own little bubble of privacy (I'm a people watcher, especially if I don't have a book to read!).  I sat, and sat, and sat.  I drank a Diet Mt. Dew (I may regret that later tonight).  I tried to connect to the wi-fi via my phone, but couldn't get the connection to stay connected.  I had not planned the visit, so I didn't have my boredom busters with me!  Two hours later, I was finally out the door.

The best news?  I just needed a new gas cap.  It was leaking.  Whew.  At least it wasn't the alternator or something major going on.  Can't say it was exactly a cheap fix.  But at least it was easy, and not as expensive as some of the other possible issues.

Well, now what to do with the rest of my day?  Need to bake some cookies, but forgot to take the butter out of the freezer, so that's gonna be a while.  I can play around w/ some pictures of it raining.  Nothing catches the mood of an icky rainy day like pictures of an icky rainy day.

Yup.  Pulled out the camera and turned the kitchen chair around to look out the back door at a couple of puddles.  Tried a few things.  Like some better than others.  But I know a couple of things I don't want to do next time, and have some ideas of a couple of different things to try.  First off would be using the mono-pod or tripod . . . experiencing weather induced sinus headache issues is not typically a time of clear thinking.

I was SO looking forward to the day I had planned this morning.  But, looking back at it all now, it's turned out pretty good after all.  I did get to spend some time with friends and completely enjoyed it.  Although the Check Engine light freaked me out, it was a reasonable problem that was easily remedied.  Missing hanging out with other friends wasn't so great, but I got to catch up on a couple of things around the house, try a recipe for cookies using cake mix, and still have a batch of sugar cookies waiting to be made.  And, I can't forget the opportunity to try to catch some pictures of the rain.

I guess today was the forget the plan and go with the flow day.  Not too hateful after all.