Acetaminophen, Aspirin, & Caffeine - My Best Friends

If I needed proof of how crappy the weather has been in SW Ohio this summer, I discovered it today, written on the side of my Equate Extra Strength Headache Relief (WalMart's version of Extra Strength Excedrin) tablets bottle.  I write the date I open the bottle so I can gauge how much I'm going through in a month.  There are 100 tablets in the bottle, and I have 1 tablet left.  I opened the bottle on July 19th.  Just over a month to go through 99 tablets (and this isn't the only bottle I use, just the one I use the most).  YIKES!!

I'm glad that when I was out and about earlier today, I forced myself to get some pics taken.  By the time I got home, I was done in though, and am just about ready to call it a night (this from a night owl!).  I've been busy trying to coordinate the upcoming Tell a Police Officer "Thank You!" Day on September 15 and sending 6-1 gallon zipper bags of pop top tabs to a service dog group in Pennsylvania.  Fortunately, Mom had a great day and decided to go to a movie with a group from Friendship Village.  That gave me another day off this week, and unexpectedly at that.

After striking out in getting donations for September 15th (3 different businesses), I headed out to Eastwood MetroPark for a quick "shoot."  I'm glad I did.

It's August 20th!  Doesn't it seem to early for pine cones??

A body of water, a bright day, nice clouds . . . did you really expect me to pass up this opportunity?

Or this one?

I don't know what kind of berries these are, and the plant was growing up around one of the evergreens.

I had to do some walking to get a couple of shots of the Great Blue Heron.  He was in one spot as I drove by, but after parking and walking back, he took off just as I was getting to a spot where I could have gotten much closer.

I would love to catch a shot of those feathers on his back MUCH closer.  I want to know the texture of them, as well as those on the neck and top of his head.  I was more than a little frustrated that I couldn't get very close today.  On the other hand, I was glad to have gotten another opportunity.

These last 2 shots (above and below) are from the backyard.  More pics of the trumpet vine.  I do like how it's looking now that it's blooming a LOT and vining around the lines of the clothesline.  I'm too short to get a good picture of it from a good angle; guess I'll have to drag out some kind of stool to get a shot because it really is pretty.

Thanks to my best friends (Acetaminophen, Aspirin, & Caffeine) I am relatively functional.  It was touch and go there for a while.  I probably should try to find some chocolate and cold liquid caffeine to make the headache go completely away.  And if it doesn't make the headache go completely away, at least I'll feel a little pampered.

Off to hunt some chocolate and cold liquid caffeine, my very dear friends!

Pondering and Rumination

I'm still "hmmm-ing" over last night's closing thought.  Why do I have so much patience (comparatively speaking) when it comes to doing something I enjoy, but so very little at other times?  I've been pondering that off and on today.

Yes, more cloud shots.  They added to my ponderings as well!  Not only was the sky FULL of clouds of all types (nice, pretty, fluffy clouds as well as the darker, threatening weather clouds), they were also moving pretty quickly, and were often accented nicely when the sun was out.

I loved the pic above for the extreme contrast of the darker clouds at the top and bottom with the bright fluffy clouds and spot of blue sky shining through.

These clouds are such a mix of the darker and brighter clouds that I can't really put a finger on why I like it.  I just know I do . . .

I loved the way this succulent spiraled as it grew.  Not all of them did, which is why this one was so much more interesting to me.

I went back to Cox Arboretum, planning to visit the Butterfly House.  I learned today to make sure I'm there no later than 3 p.m. because they close the Butterfly House at 4:00.  I got there at 4:30.  I did get to see a LOT of butterflies from the outside though!  The shots look a little cloudy because there's a screen between the camera and the butterflies.

It was amazing to see all of these butterflies congregating.  I'm looking forward to going back (maybe tomorrow) to see it all from the inside.

The goldfinches were very close, and numerous.  They were very busy feeding on the flora, and although I tried to be VERY quiet and move slowly, they'd fly off when I crossed that line I couldn't see!

See!  I thought it was a cool shot, even if it isn't focused on the bird.  Not one I'd brag about, but will try to replicate (but focused on the bird)!

I also got to see a few butterflies outside of the Butterfly House.  I don't know if they are escapees from there, or if they hope to join their winged friends on the inside.  But it is nice to see them "on the outside."

I have no idea what either of the plants above and below are, but found both of them intriguing.

Teeny little moth!  He likes the purple flowers, too.

And a couple more cloud pictures to finish up with.  I was on my way back to the car at this point, and it started sprinkling before I made it.  It wasn't bad at all, and I had the camera bag, so all important stuff was kept safe and dry.

Now I'll circle back to the thought at the beginning of the post (and the end of yesterday's post) AND try to tie in my cloud ponderings and various other ruminations for the day.

WHY do I have so much more patience for the things I enjoy than for things that have to be done? I would strongly suspect that enjoying doing something means we like to prolong it; therefore we don't mind taking longer to get more enjoyment out of the experience.  I would also strongly suspect that those things we have to do are more like chores, and not as enjoyable, so we want them to be over as quickly as possible.

That minor piece of introspection I'll buy into.  It makes sense.  BUT, what about those things that really get under our skin and it's not a chore or something that HAS to be done?  Why do I lose patience driving on the highway in the left hand lane and the person in front of me is barely doing the speed limit and won't move over?  Why do I get frustrated in the grocery line when the person in front of me leaves their cart between us until after they pay (it's an efficiency thing; if they would push their cart in front of them, when their items clear the belt, I can place my items and we can keep everyone moving along and happy)?

And WHY do I keep hearing Jan Brady saying, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia."?  No, it's not jealousy.  It's far more insidious than that.  I don't want to admit what it is, but stating it will give it less hold over me, right?

It's plain old selfishness.  Wanting to put myself before everyone else.  What I want is more important than what is going on with anyone else.  Wow.  That's pathetic, but it doesn't have to be permanent.  Hopefully now I'll be a little more objective in the situation and think of those clouds and whether I'm the threatening weather of selfishness or the light and fluffy patience.  And every cloud I see will be a reminder (especially when I'm driving!).  :-D

Blogger Block?

I think this must be a record of sorts for me - the longest I've not blogged . . . I really was missing it.  But we've either had extreme heat or thunderstorms, both of which will sometimes cause extreme headaches for me.  It's been a miserable week!

Tomorrow is going to be a fun but challenging day for me.  I am going to be shooting a wedding for one of the aides at Mom's assisted living facility.  I was honored when she asked me, but terrified of the responsibility and pressure I put on myself to do a good job.  Then, I had an absolutely fabulous idea to ask a young photographer to do the wedding with me.  And her name is Joy!  She has been through the local community college's photography program, and has worked with her uncle who is a professional photographer, so she brings the experience in posing and editing (about all I do for editing most days is cropping) that I sorely lack and was most concerned about.  Whew.

Yeah, the bride and groom are getting dirt cheap rates and will get great photos.  We'll get some great experience and a chance to see if this might become something we want to work together.

Tonight we went to the rehearsal, and I got a few pictures.  No, I'm not posting any of people - just  some of the decorations they'd already set up.  The wedding and reception are going to be in the same hall, which will be handy in some ways.

I was on my way back home after the rehearsal when I saw a GREAT opportunity for some more pics that I don't often get a chance at - construction equipment left unattended!!

I want to learn to run these kind of machines.  I also want to drive a Zamboni (I've ridden on one, and that was a blast!).

I must go on record about one of my pet peeves after working six years in Construction Management . . . you do not walk on a cement sidewalk (or swim in a cement pond).  Cement is an ingredient used to make concrete (for those practicing for SAT/ACT type tests, cement is to concrete as flour is to cake).  The finished product that is mixed and poured is concrete.  I've also been told by what I assume must be construction aficionados the even more correct term is concretus, and it is placed, not poured.  Getting off soapbox now . . .

Surely there's a hose around the construction site to clean out the scoop and tires on this machine (above and below).  I'd say they've both seen better days and easier treatment!

Rebar (above and below) . . . and I don't think they carried either group in the drink carrier above! It just kind of made me chuckle to see it there . . .

And of course, since I've been obsessing about clouds lately, I have to throw in some pics of them as well!  They were awfully pretty today.

And the final image that saddens me to see at my high school.  Really?  Police need a spot of their own to park in?  Just how often are they there?

I'm thinking there's no blogger block, even after almost a week off.  More like blogger diarrhea . . . ceremony, construction, clouds, and cops . . . working the alliteration angle!

No, I will not be posting wedding photos tomorrow unless they are artsy type photos - and Sunday I'll be working with the other Joy on selecting and editing photos from the wedding.  I hope to find time both days to get some pics taken.

Cloudy Vision

The experts say the first step in overcoming a problem is admitting it.  I feel it's time I admit that I am completely obsessed with clouds.  

We've been having another hot and humid weather system, and I've not been up to battling the heat or headaches to get out and take pictures.  I hate that.  But, as I drove hither and yon, here to there and back again, I noticed that for the last week or so, we've had a LOT more clouds than normal, and they've been awfully pretty.

I had planned to go out a little earlier to visit Mom today since I knew it was going to be another scorcher, so on the off chance the weather wasn't too oppressive when I left her place, I put the camera in the trunk and off I drove.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I missed my turn to the street Mom lives on because I was checking out the clouds and didn't realize I was there already.  I may need an intervention.

All of the photos above were taken from the very posh and elegant location known to the locals as the Friendship Village parking lot.  The remaining photos were all taken from the very posh and elegant location known to the locals as the Huber Heights Target parking lot.  Maybe I need a parking lot intervention, too . . .

One of my "issues" in taking pictures of the clouds is that I usually see shots I want while I'm driving.  Part of that is because there are fewer wires ruining the view, but also because there's a larger panorama to view.  Stopping in a parking lot sometimes allows for the larger view point as well as the lack of phone/cable/electrical wires.  In my case, the locations were also relatively close to the highway, and more likely to afford the views I'd been watching while driving.

I don't know if any of the Target shoppers noticed me in the back corner of the parking lot, but I hope not.  I'm sure if they did they thought I was bonkers - what the heck could I be taking pictures of?  There's nothing interesting out there; it's a parking lot, for Pete's sake!  I prefer to believe they were so focused on getting out of the heat (either into the store or getting the car started so the A/C would work) that they never knew I was there.

But what's so spectacular about the clouds that I'm constantly checking them out?  Part of it is the contrast between the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky; other times it's the contrast of light and shadow on the same cloud.

Sometimes it's a dark cloud next to a cloud so brightly white it seems to glow that captivates me.  Other times, it's a whole palette of subtle shades and colors blending and merging together as the cloud dances past.

Sometimes it looks like an artist has been trying to carve the clouds, but finds them difficult to work with and puts it aside for the time being.

Sometimes I just look up in awe at the expanse of the sky and the ethereal beauty before me, completely at a loss for words.