sabrina

254:365


Today I was feeling a bit giddy. See.... I had woken up early to take my mom to her church services, and knew that I had a couple hours to myself. WoOt!!!
And so.... I made some coffee.. and settled in for a good hour or so of reading some of my favorite blog writers. I then decided... that I could take advantage of the quiet, and take a nap. And so... I let Sabrina out to run around the yard, and prepared myself to settle in to some super fine quilts. I let her in and she raced to the bed... happy and ready to nap. I crawled in... and started sneezing. Then I started wheezing. Then my eyes started to burn...
and I realized that there was something fowl in the air.
You see... there has been lots of construction in this neighborhood, as they are repairing one bridge, and removing another -- at opposite ends of this street. Apparently, Sabrina had found a nice smelly puddle of creosote or some such fowl smelling liquid... and brought it home with her.
So... after several puppy scrubbings... and several loads of laundry
... I gave up on the whole notion of a nap.

Instead... my mother, Sabrina and I went for a drive in the country. We saw gorgeous fields of corn, cows... and then we saw an entire field of sunflowers!!!
For a photographer... this is pretty much as close to nirvana as you can get.
We had a great time... and here are some photos from the day...



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

214:365


Another long sleepless night. I am beginning to think I am cursed... well... not really. But you know what I mean. Around 5am, the daughter and I headed out to Satellite for a steaming cuppa... did you know they open at 5:30am? Eeeeeegads that is early. However, the coffee was hot and fresh... and the company was awesome. I also noticed that they have local artwork on the walls by Alexandra Gjurasic. Alexandra was one of the fabulous artists featured at the Chinese New Year show in 2009... right before I left the Wooden Cow Gallery and Art Space. She does fabulous stuff... and you can see more of it HERE...



From there we went to KrispyKreme ... who has THE BEST glazed doughnuts ever... and discovered that they have the coolest couches in their cafe areas (I'm told they just got them a couple weeks ago). We drove home, and watched the sun rise up over the Sandias on the way.... it was awesome.



I love my bed. A couple years ago... the hubby and I splurged on a TempurPedic wonder. While it took us forever to pay it off.... it has been well worth it. Handmade quilts.... flannel sheets... it is a wondrous thing to behold. Not to mention ... sweet, loving Sabrina..... (and my dear hubby of course)



I have been having a conflict with a loved one. I won't detail it more... because it is a delicate and personal matter... but I felt that I owed my readership an explanation of sorts as to why things have been a bit wonky around here. It is a horrible and tragic thing.... to love and care for someone and not be able to do a dang thing about the tension and stress of a crappy situation. It's hard to love someone for a long time... and have things fall apart ... especially over what seems to be trivia in the whole scheme of things.
But. I am ever hopeful. Ever optimistic. This morning as I was getting ready to try to sleep... there were tons of rainbows flitting about my bedroom. I have long had the habit of hanging crystals and beads and things from my curtain rods... and today I was swarmed with the bright lights and glitterati... it was fabulous... and hopefully... a sign of good things to come...


**photos by Elaine A. Russell

38:365


As part of the bi-weekly photo prompt put on by Susan Tuttle and Chrysti Hydeck, the word for this week of the ECHO Project-- is Whisper. My partner, Brenda Seaholm-Wampler, provided the photo of the beautiful angel statue with the quote from the Talmud. Mine is the rose.

It got me thinking about the word "whisper." According to Webster's... whisper means: to speak softly with little or no vibration of the vocal cords, especially to avoid being overheard.
But being a romantic... I like to think of the word whisper in terms of ....whispering on the wind... to whisper to your soul.... and such.

And so I got to thinking about the things that whisper and speak to my soul....



...the gorgeous skies and cloud formations here in the southwest.....



... bodies of water.... especially ones with gorgeous lily pads (like this one at the ABQ Botanical Gardens)



....snow.... breezes..... rain..... the smell of dirt when it's wet...



... snuggling with my baby girl Sabrina.... who has been enjoying the extra nap time...




...and some great music by Basia...


(...all photos by Elaine A. Russell)

10:365


Somehow this weekend really got away from me. I love the photo above... because it reminds me to slooooooow dooooown my everyday activities... and to really appreciate what is happening in the NOW. I took this photo last week while running errands.. and I need to go back sometime and take a more leisurely shot.
The one of the snowman --- I took while driving down I-25 south ... heading home. It is a huge mass of tumbleweeds, fashioned into a snowman; facing the highway. It is fabulous.



And this one I took just a few minutes ago.... of my beloved Sabrina... waiting ever so patiently *not* for me to get off the computer... and take her for a walk. (which I will do )





Sometimes life feels like a series of snapshots. Here one minute.. gone the next. And it is..... and yet... if we try hard enough... we can learn to appreciate those moments in time. Maybe stretch them out a little.... savor them like a fine wine.
My honey is still sick. I am going to make a fire in the fireplace, heat up some wonderful pot roast leftovers, and put on a movie. Maybe I will make hot toddies....wrap him up in a warm blanket and forget about the world for a bit....

Living Simply tip for the day: If you can afford to; and have the ability to... adopt a pet. I realize that alot of living situations are not conducive to having a pet.. and not all people are able to have a pet (allergies, economics, etc)... but if you can....
Studies have shown that owning a pet can provide significant health benefits.
Pets can decrease your: Blood pressure, Cholesterol levels, Triglyceride levels, Feelings of loneliness, stress levels, and more.
Pets can increase your: opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities, as well as for socialization.

I know on a personal level, how very much having Sabrina in my life has increased my overall health.. and I would wish that on everyone....