Mellow Yellow Monday--- Guessing game yellow

Welcome everyone to this week's edition of Mellow Yellow Monday hosted by Drowsey Monkey.

I have some very unusual yellow shots to share this week. I will explain what the photos are at the end. Perhaps you would like to guest the answer?






Well, what did you guess? I captured these shots a few days ago, while sitting in our car during a trip through the car wash. I thought the combination of soap and water combined with the yellow and red brushes made for a pleasing abstract picture.


Have a good week everyone. To join in the fun or visit other Mellow Yellow participants just clickhere

Sunday Favorites #45 -- the I Meme

Sunday Favorites is a meme hosted by Chari at Happy to Design. Chari asks us to drag one of our older posts out of mothballs and repost it. After all, only so many posts can be on the first page and once they move down the stack they are seldom ever looked at again.

You can check out this Sunday meme by visiting Happy to Design. Heck, you might find some great stuff and be inspired to join the fun and repost some of your favorites that have been long forgotten.

My repost for this week was originally posted on a blog that I have since retired. The post appeared in October 2008.

The I Meme:

October 13, 2008

For all of you non bloggers, reading this blog only because you are connected to me in some way, let me explain what a meme is. In science, a Meme (pronounced to rhyme with “theme”) is a self-propagating unit of thought that is spread from one host to another. Richard Dawkins invented the term as a kind of idea-gene. Like genes, as Memes spread they mutate or die. Only the fittest Memes survive.

For bloggers, Memes have become synonymous with internet quizzes, surveys, and novelties people link to and pass around on their blogs, forums and via email. Things like the “which superhero are you most like” test.

I found this meme on another blog and decided I wanted to answer the questions and post them here. But, being my usual non-conformist self I have added a few questions and omitted those I did not want to answer. I am not going to tag anyone but feel free to use the meme.

The I Meme:

I am: often invisible to those around me.
I live: in a small rural town that is rapidly becoming a big city.
I laugh: until I pee my pants or stop breathing.
I think: I would have been happier as a member of my mother’s generation.
I know: I am one of the luckiest people on the planet.
I want: my life to be validated by something that will be remembered long after I am gone.
I have: more than I need and all that I could possibly hope for.
I wish: I could relive the last day in my first husband’s life.
I hate: people who think they know it all and pretend to be better than they actually are .
I hide: all of my written journals.
I pray: every day for health and happiness for those I love.
I burn: candles whenever I am home alone.
I rode: a ferry around Staten Island.
I sometimes: like to eat peanut butter from the jar.
I hurt: most when those I love are hurting.
I save: old greeting cards, useless CD’s, pens & pencils and dozens of other items.
I miss: my job but am thankful I do not have to go there ever again.
I fear: for the quality of the world that we will leave our grandchildren.
I applaud: all those who have the ability to put others first.
I wait: for the day when I can afford to travel the world, but, I know it will never come.
I need: to work harder at improving my spelling.
I made: my first plane trip at age 60.
I don’t: watch television news programs.
I take: life one day at a time.
I believe: in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and in all things magical.
I drive: my husband nuts with the amount of time I spend on the PC.
I forgive: my father for naming me Rita, but I still wish he had named me Betty.
I hope: I live long enough to see world peace.
I feel: each of us needs to take a greater part in helping to shape the lives of young people.
I hear: everything around me but I actually take in very little of what I hear.
I smell: roses and immediately get transported back to the capital building rose garden in Montgomery, Alabama.
I crave: donuts and chocolate.
I search: every store for all the bargains.
I wonder: when I will get my fifteen minutes of fame.
I regret: that I have let some very important people in my life slip away without telling them how I felt.
I love: to spend days seeking adventures with my dear husband.
I ache: all over due to my fibromyalgia.
I am not: the person most people perceive me to be.
I imagine: the world would be a better place if we could all agree to disagree and respect that decision.
I believe: the world is teetering on the edge of no return.
I dance: only in my dreams.
I sing: only for infants.
I cry: at the drop of a feather.
I don’t always: do my dishes as soon as the meal is over.
I fight: tooth and nail for those I care about.
I write: because it keeps me sane.
I win: anytime I can avoid raising my voice in anger.
I lose: every time I let my temper get out of control.
I am never: going to cook fried chicken again.
I never: go swimming in the river.
I need: to learn to be more like my mother.
I cherish: Aunt Ceal’s ruby ring.
I expect: too much of myself.
I had: the security code for a bank vault.
I always: try to do the moral or Christian thing regardless of other’s opinions.
I confuse: my nephews Adam and Nathan.
I listen: to children at play.
I can: usually be found: sitting at my computer
I am scared: that I will have no one to care for me in my old age
I need: serenity and harmony in my life before all other things
I am happy: when my hubby smiles at me.

Photo Friday --- Self Portrait

The theme for this weeks Friday Photo Challenge is "Self Portrait, 2010" I am not in the habit of taking pictures of myself. I knew that I had a few bad reflections of me in a window captured during the photographing of something else. But, not anything I would want to share. Then this afternoon I stretched out across the bed to soak up the warmth of the sunshine coming in the window. Suddenly, one of our cats joined me on the bed and began to try to play with a plant I had hung in the window. I went for the camera to capture Boo's playful antics. When I lay back down on the bed I noticed my own reflection in the alarm clock on my bedside table and new instantly that I had the perfect photo for this weeks Friday Photo Challenge.


To view more photo Friday entries or join the fun visit http://photofriday.com

shadow Shot Sunday --- # lady Liberty

Welcome one and all to this week's edition of Shadow Shot Sunday.

This week I have a guessing game for you. Can you name what is making this shadow? If not, then proceed to the second photo to get your answer.




Well, what is your guess? The correct answer is a young man dressed as the Statue of Liberty.



This young man has been doing a great job of jumping and dancing, all over the parking area beside the roadway of the busiest business area in town. For two reasons, to keep from getting frost bite in the coldest winter of the last
nine years and to attract customers to the Liberty Tax Service. For several months I have been amazed by his ability to stay so cheerful and active. The other day I finally pulled over and ask to take his picture and was surprised by the shadow shots I found when I got home
.
Have a great week everyone. For more great shadow shots click the camera badge to visit Hey Harriet and join in the fun.

Maxine on Saturday #7 --- Health Care

"Maxine on Saturday" a new meme started by Mary over at "Work of the Poet" and dedicated to one of my favorite ladies. Maxine is someone you either love or hate. She is a gal I can't help but love and who makes me wish I had the chutzpah to copy. After all, we all think like her but usually don't have the nerve to say it out loud.

This week I thought I would check out what Maxine has to say about health care and the economy. Perhaps you should fasten your seat belts. It could be a bumpy ride.

c John Wagner

Hallmark, Inc.

To post your favorite words of wisdom from Maxine, or just to check out others favorites hop on over to Mary's blog

Color Carnival #39--- Persian Palace

Color Carnival is a meme celebrateing all the colors in God's rainbow.

My entry for this week was captured during a trip to the doctor this week. This down the street from my doctors office is this building that has the outside stairways covered in multi-colored awnings. They always remind me some Persian Kings Palace while the Old Salt says they look like carnival tents. I am surprised that I have never stopped to photograph them before this week, but when I saw them I suddenly realized they were a perfect entry for Color Carnival.




To join the fun or to check out all the colorful entries of other players, visit Martha and her friends at Color Carnival.

Mellow Yellow Monday #57 -- batting tomatoes

Welcome everyone to this week's edition of Mellow Yellow Monday hosted by Drowsey Monkey.

This week I am sharing a bit of winter humor captured in a neighbor's yard. Apparently, the creator of this snowman is anxious for spring and the beginning of Little League.

And, since I can't wait for summer I thought I would include one of summers best fruits --- or vegetables depending on your mind set. Have you tried the yellow tomatoes?

Have a good week everyone. To join in the fun or visit other Mellow Yellow participants just clickhere

Maxine on Saturday #6 --- fashion

Sorry everyone I have been so busy this last week I just had to let something slide. And, blogging got the short straw. Hopefully this week will find me back on schedule. I will try to get it all together by starting where I left off --- with Maxine.


"Maxine on Saturday" a new meme started by Mary over at "Work of the Poet" and dedicated to one of my favorite ladies. Maxine is someone you either love or hate. She is a gal I can't help but love and who makes me wish I had the chutzpah to copy. After all, we all think like her but usually don't have the nerve to say it out loud.

While I work on getting caught up and back on schedule I will let you all go on a little shopping trip with Maxine. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take her with you somewhere? This should answer that question.

c John Wagner

Hallmark, Inc.

To post your favorite words of wisdom from Maxine, or just to check out others favorites hop on over to Mary's blog

Maxine on Saturday #5 --- attitude

"Maxine on Saturday" a new meme started by Mary over at "Work of the Poet" and dedicated to one of my favorite ladies, Maxine. Maxine is someone you either love or hate. She is a gal I can't help but love and who makes me wish I had the chutzpah to copy. After all, we all think like her but usually just don't have the nerve to say it out loud.

Heck, Maxine has something to say on every subject including her own attitude. So, this week I decided to share a few of those. Enjoy, and have a good week everyone.

c John Wagner

Hallmark, Inc.

To post your favorite words of wisdom from Maxine, or just to check out others favorites hop on over to Mary's blog

Pink Saturday --- Cotton Candy and Tea Time

Welcome everyone to this week's edition of Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

When passing a local truck stop recently I noticed this carnival wagon on the parking lot. It is certainly not the time of year when it would be traveling to some local venue so I had to wonder where it was going and what fun the folks there would be having once it gets operational.



The lovely pink tea set in this next photo belongs to a very dear friend of mine.

You can learn more about Tess and her amazing life by click here.



To join in the fun or just visit the pink post of others visit Beverly and her friends at Pink Saturday.

Theme Thursday -- Mirror

It has been much too long since I posted to Theme Thursday. The fates have been against me it seems. Whenever I was available to play I could not manage to come up with the right photo. When the photo was there, then living a full life would get in the way.

This week's theme is not an easy one. I took a dozen photos of different mirrors over the last week but they all had some glare or bad reflection. I gave up and resigned myself to waiting for another week then, there it was--- the perfect shot, sitting in my archives discovered during an unrelated search this afternoon.



So here I am, late to the party. But, now I have a photo of a mirror and a wonderful story to share about its owner. I snapped this shot of the coffee table in the living room of a very dear friend who came into my life three years ago when I married the Old Salt.

Tess, is 89 years young. Yes, I said young and that is what I meant. I have never met a person of any age as active, creative and productive as Tess, Even though she suffers from gout, and has had both knees replaced; and they are long past the time of needing to be replaced again, she never seems to sit still. She has a stained glass studio in her home as well as a large sewing room, and both are in constant use. A large tin on top of her refrigerator is always full of homemade cookies. Her freezer is lined with neatly stacked and labeled rows of delicious home made casseroles. And, the Old Salt tells me that he has visited with Tess in at least four different homes over the years, and even when he popped in unannounced for a visit, her home always looked ready for a photo shoot by Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Someone who can do all of the above at a young age is exceptional but to do it, seemingly effortlessly, at an age when most of us would consider walking unaided an accomplishment is amazing. And that is just the beginning of Tess's accomplishments. The most fascinating thing about Tess is not what she does now, but the life she has already lived and all the memories,stories and adventures she has to tell about it.

Tess lost her Mother at a young age and, along with her siblings, spent several years in the care of nuns at a Catholic orphanage. Her father eventually reclaimed them and, though she was not the oldest, the preteen Tess became the chief cook, housekeeper and caretaker of her family once they were reunited. She managed to put herself through business school and became a private secretary in the corporate world long before women became a staple in that world.

I'm sure you have all seen that famous WWII photo of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima. Tess's first husband "Paul" was a Marine killed on Mount Suribachi just a day before that flag was raised. She was left with an infant son to raise alone. Her husband's best friend and fellow Marine "Bill" visited Tess in Chicago to return Paul's personal belongings. They stayed in touch. After WWII Bill remained in the marines and was stationed overseas when his wife (in the states) abandoned their children. Tess stepped in and cared for Bill's two children until his return. They eventually fell in love, married and adopted each other's children. Tess spent the remainder of Bill's military career moving around the world. She raised respectful and intelligent children while turning the most humble military housing into a warm and cheery home. She worked tirelessly to become the perfect officers wife so Bill could continue to climb in the ranks. I am continually blown away by the list of people Tess knew. She made halloween costumes for the children of General Chesty Puller when her Bill was serving on his staff. She delivered casseroles to the homes of suffering families of marines who served in three wars, attended parties hosted by heads of state, but mostly she made sure her children and all the children around her were loved during the frequent absences of their fathers.

To this day, her mail box and her e-mail are full of greetings and friendly messages from friends around the world. Barely, a week goes by that someone passing through the area doesn't stop by to spend a night or have a meal. Her guest room is often occupied by old friends who plan vacations around a visit with her.

Tess has outlived two husbands and two of her children. She is a decade older than the friends she regularly visits in nursing homes. She still drives and delivers casseroles to shut-ins and families in crises. She has already arranged her own funeral and written her own epitaph. She talks about the day she will be buried as she puts it, "with her two marines" in the National Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas. We always tell her we hope that day is still a long time in the future because she has unfinished projects to complete and many friends who need her.

To join the fun or visit more participants from around the world visit Theme Thursday

Ruby Tuesday and Rednesday --- the big red bow

Tuesday is the day that Mary at "Work of the Poet" hosts Ruby Tuesday. Rednesday is a Wednesday meme hosted by Sue at "It's a Very Cherry World." Both memes are dedicated to the color red.

I know this will seem odd but, instead of posting something Valentine related on this week set aside for love, I am going to go backwards and post some red related to Christmas. I had this topic scheduled for the holiday season and somehow failed to publish it. And, since I do not have a heart related photo to share decided to go with the ribbons and bows on the package instead.

As you travel highway 40 through St. Louis, one of the most interesting buildings visible from the roadway, is the McDonnell Planetarium. The planetarium is part of the St. Louis Science Center and sits on the edge of Forest Park. Each christmas season the hyperboloid curve of the building is decorated with a four foot wide ribbon and a twenty foot bow. This annual tradition began back in 1966 when a group of pranksters managed to climb the building one night and install the first ribbon and big red bow without getting caught. In fact the actual culprits' were never identified and the only clue was left by the tricksters themselves: a small sign attached to the handrail read "Merry Christmas, St. Louis, Washington University School of Architecture." The people of St. Louis loved it so much that the planetarium has carried on the tradition ever since. Which is amazing considering how tight the city budget always is and the fact that it takes a crew of four a full five hours-with a bucket lift- to tie the big red bow around the curve of the building.

To join the fun or just check out what Red others are excited to share visit Mary and her friends at Ruby Tuesday and Sue and her friends from Rednesday

Color Carnival #36---Bird of Paradise

Color Carnival is a meme celebrateing all the colors in God's rainbow.

My entry for this week is the colorful Bird of Paradise flower. I captured this one growing outside our hotel during our visit to Del Mar California last fall.


To join the fun or to check out all the colorful entries of other players, visit Martha and her friends at Color Carnival.

"Maxine on Saturday" a new meme started by Mary over at "Work of the Poet" and dedicated to one of my favorite ladies, Maxine. Maxine is someone you either love or hate. She is a gal I can't help but love and who makes me wish I had the chutzpah to copy. After all, we all think like her but usually just don't have the nerve to say it out loud.

I posted some of Maxine's quips about the weather last week not knowing that it was going to get a whole lost worse here. But, Maxine is never at a loss for words about any subject so I will give you a few more of her jewels on the subject.

c John Wagner

Hallmark, Inc.

To post your favorite words of wisdom from Maxine, or just to check out others favorites hop on over to Mary's blog

The Wonder of Snow

The Old Salt was born in Dallas and grew up in the Piney Woods of southeast Texas. By the time he was barely out of his teens he was enlisted in the Navy and off to Boot camp in San Diego, California where he spent the next forty plus years. While he had occasions to see snow they have been few and short lived. Before attaching his life to mine and moving to Missouri, his last sighting of snow was off the coast of Russia while serving on the USS Mount Hood in the winter of 1982/1983.

Snow has been falling here for almost twenty-four hours now. Big fluffy flakes will fall for a while to be replaced by tiny wet flakes that seem to be more rain than snow; only to return to those big fat flakes again. So, it is not surprising that I have found Frank standing transfixed in front of one window after another today taking in the expanding winter vistas.

I stood in the background watching him and thinking about all the different snowy winters and the problems that snow brought with it in my lifetime. I also thought about how uninteresting this current snow storm is for me compared to how fascinating my sixty-four year old husband finds it. I am giving thanks that I do not have to be out in the snow tackling the road conditions to keep from missing work while the Old Salt gives me the impression that he is fighting the urge to put on his boots and go join the kids with their sleds playing on the hillside outside our back gate. Heck, I would not be surprised to find a snowman sitting on our front lawn, when I returned, if I would just find some excuse to have to go to the market for a short half hour.

I did trudged out to the back gate in my housedress and crocs to snap a few pictures. Of course, the Old Salt, had to grab his camera and snap one of me from the shelter of the kitchen doorway.