signs of spring?

i spotted signs of spring today... yes, even though we're in the midst of fall.  i had to laugh.  for i thought these little bugs were only out mostly in the spring time but i've been wrong before.  and then i wondered...maybe they aren't the bugs i think they are after all... you see they're green, not red... huh?

green lady bugs?  i always thought that lady bugs were red.  right?  but these are green.  they look just like red lady bugs but perhaps they're a different sort of beadle.  hmmmm....  i suppose i could've googled it to see because that's what people do these days with all that's out there on the information highway.  but i decided not to... to let it stand...believing in my mind that green can be red.

see what you might believe...

aren't they just the cutest little bugs?  whether actual lady bugs or not, watching them navigate the flower petals together was a fun site to behold.

happy day.....

leaf studies

this time of year it's difficult to miss the changing colors of the leaves on the trees.... the reds, yellows, oranges, bronzes all melding together.  the sunlight bouncing just so causing your mouth to involuntarily make the sounds of "ooh" and "aah" as you drive around.

fall... autumn... whatever you choose to call it, is one of my favorite seasons second to spring time.  the cool crisp of the air, the hurried scurry of squirrels as they gather food for winter, pulling sweaters and hoodies from the closet yet still being able to keep the tootsies free in flip flops for just a bit longer....  the soon-to-be smell of pumpkin pie, bobbing for apples and harvest festivals.  all so hard to resist isn't it?

some of my favorite leaf studies so far this year... 

happy day.....

sunburst and barista

found a stray flower i thought was the coolest looking thing....

although temperatures are dipping into the 40's at night, blossoms are continuing to hang on...yay!  i don't know what this is but obviously took liberties with some editing.

then on my way home, i stopped at a local coffee shop - drive through because i was feeling lazy - to order a tea.  while waiting, the barista got to chatting about apples of all things.  he asked me if i knew who was the greatest apple planter and i guessed johnny appleseed...of course being correct.  here's the rub, though.  apparently, johnny didn't plant regular apple seeds as we know them.  he planted mainly crab apples that were then used to make apple cider.  isn't that an interesting tidbit?  i love apple cider and this time of the year is perfect for it.  the chill in the air and with apple picking and harvest, makes you think of bobbing for apples, too.  i remember once seeing apples go through a huge press for apple cider...total yum!  i may have to buy some.

the barista was a cutie, had this great gap-toothed smile and since i had my camera with me, asked if i could shoot his picture for my blog....said it would be great to put it up with this story.  he grinned saying "sure."

happy day.....

reflections

some flowers are still hanging on....

hard to pass by simple beauty when it's staring at you.

gracie is continuing her late night adventures in the bathroom sink as well.  i don't venture to understand her reasoning.  i merely grab the camera as soon as i hear the thump, thump if i'm near enough knowing i might be presented with an opportunity...  mostly, i find myself giggling at her twirling around in the bowl doing her little dance.

after i snapped awhile, i thought they were just all looking the same.  it wasn't until i downloaded them and was scanning through that i saw this one and was amazed at my good fortune.  i'm surprised i was able to capture it at all considering the angle...  if i was positioned a little better, it would've come  out a bit more even but as it is, it's a wonderful reflection...

happy day.....

dandelions

brrrrr....it's been cold the past few days.  and there's snow on the peak...a sure sign that winter is around the corner, sweater weather is finally here and the time for my tootsies to remain free in their flip flops is drawing to a close.

but imagine my surprise as i was out running a few errands today and came across this little gem....

...a dandelion!  aren't they only around in the spring time?  i couldn't believe seeing it stretching it's head toward the sun - and all by itself, too.  no other dandelions around to keep it company...just the one. 

i've always seen other pictures of them but had never taken my own before.  it made my day to see the little puff ball patiently waiting for me to go snap, snap so i could add it to my portfolio.  yay!

happy day.....

sink singing

i thought since the weather has started to cool down, that gracie was over her little escapades in the bathroom sink.  apparently not.  the other night i heard a thump, thump - went to investigate and found her turning around in circles in the bowl... not sure if she was looking for something or expecting something to happen or what.  grace stayed there for about 10 minutes before jumping out.

this morning i heard the same thump, thump.  i grabbed my camera on the way to check it out.  there was gracie, head down, rear end up in the sink.  when i asked her what she was doing, she just looked at me like i should know better.  uh-huh!

i started snapping away which didn't bother her any.  grace did her little dance of turning around and around in the bowl again - looking up to the ceiling, looking left, looking right and then it appeared that she was going to jump out.  during this whole time i, of course, was giggling....okay - it was more likely snorting.... i couldn't help myself.  it's not like it was hot outside.  it was downright chilly this morning.  anyway before i knew it gracie had planted herself into a sit down position and was looking around again.  and then, i managed to snap this...

she was singing a new song...  i depressed the camera button, started to laugh... and then she jumped right out of that sink!

happy day.....

hip hoppy

many people i know use an editing software called picasa... makes me think of chicken picasa which is a wonderful italian dish...yum!  i must be hungry -

anyway, i finally downloaded it since it's free - and free is good...  then i noticed a cute pair of rose hips that i couldn't avoid snapping. 

although these days anything within sight is fair game, let me tell you.  i took a picture of grass the other day because it had rained and i thought it was so pretty with the little droplets of water still on the blades.  but i couldn't quite capture it the way i've seen others do it... boo!  i've got a lot of practicing to do yet. 

but i experimented with the hips and this is what came of it....

happy day.....

artistic license

i've been experimenting with different styles of editing of pictures i've taken.  these are of a couple of roses that had withered on some bushes out front.  i didn't even know they were still there - i was only seeing the rose hips... and then one day i saw a flash of red and to my surprise there were these tiny little, not quite there roses still hanging on for dear life.

after i processed the photos, they looked pretty ragged.  but once i started playing around, i thought maybe i could get them to looking like a painting or something... a bit creative - artistic, artsy-fartsy, you know?  i figure it's my playground, or canvas, i can do whatever i want.  i also want to share it - what do you think?

happy day.....

paying attention

do  you pay attention to what's going on around you?  really?  would you notice if the person you were talking to suddenly changed into someone else?  we all like to think so, don't we?
derren brown did a person swap experiment.  when i watched it, i couldn't believe people's responses.  take a look for yourself...

i was especially dumbfounded by the last example!  this is something i hope never happens with me... that i am always aware of what is going on around me.  pay attention to your surroundings at all times...

happy day.....