water

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I feel like this week has sort of been like a bad episode of a equally horrible game show... and I keep expecting an announcer to come out of the shadows and tell me what prize I have one...
will it be door number one ... or door number two... or the box that Carol is holding?

Not to say that there haven't been awesome moments... and generally... it has been fine. It's just every now and then... I feel like I am completely and utterly lost...
Like I have misplaced something really important and I can't remember where I've left it.

Realistically, I know that I have done things... but it feels as if there is so much to do yet...
and I can't help but feel occasionally like I am merely treading water.

That said... tonight I got to visit with a cousin that I really haven't known very well, but have the opportunity to get to know better now. It is amazing to me how alike we are in so many ways... having not had a whole lot of contact with each other over the years. One of those great mysteries I suppose...or perhaps there is more to genetics than most of us care to admit...

Today's ride was a brief one.... taken while my mom was busy with an appointment. I drove out Dingman Run Road... and made a couple odd turns onto other roads... just to go down some areas I had not seen before. Perhaps that is where we learn and experience the most... by taking side "roads" in life... just exploring... and being open to whatever lies ahead
... no matter if there is a "big prize" or not...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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It always amazes me how very hot it gets here... and then I have to remember that it is really the humidity that gets to me more. And so... with the air conditioning on full blast for a bit... we took a drive over to "Lyman Run" ...more properly known as "Lyman Run State Park."

This is a PA state park... with a man made lake ....that is basically surrounded by the Susquehannock State Forest. It is a fabulous place for fishing, swimming, playing in the sand... or watching the sunsets on the lake. It sports a relatively new dam... which was a major project a few years ago.

I remember a few glorious days as a kid... getting to swim over there... and run around the forest. (this would not be the day that my brother left me there all day to fend for myself while he hung out with his buddies... but hey... that was a good learning experience too... ). But I digress. It is really pretty there... as was the entire drive over there thru the woods.

Things are starting to calm down a little... and yet... there is so much yet to do. I didn't realize all the places you need to call when someone dies... insurance companies, social security, car registration folks, house titles, the bank for joint accounts... all kinds of things.
And so... that is what we will start with tomorrow.




(*photos by Elaine A. Russell)

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--->photo by Elaine A. Russell

...all day long I have felt like I was treading water... moving slowly thru mud or some such... unable to move with any kind of fluidity... or control... or purpose. I have so very much to do... and so many things I feel like I should do before heading out on another trip... and yet... I can't afford the time. Things just have to be left the way they are.

About my photo for today's post: Today I got the Jeep checked... fluids, tires, etc.... and took it thru the car wash. This photo is actually of the one rinse cycle, as seen from the inside of the vehicle. I saturated and added some color to it... but otherwise... it is straight out of the camera.

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I am in love with water.... and yah... I live in a desert. Some things in life just aren't planned out... and moving here was definately one of them. That said... it is a gorgeous place to live.

I haven't been getting much done... at least... not as much as I would like to be. I am feeling a strong push to be more productive ... and my body just won't oblige.

This past week, my father came home from the nursing care facility he was at for the past couple of months. I am positive he is happier at home... but I am concerned about the amount of care that has been foisted upon my mother. She is getting some help from hospice... and a portion of help from her church community... and from family... but the majority of it has landed on her shoulders.

What do these three snippets have in common? They are all things in my life right now that are relatively out of my control. All three have been weighing heavily on my mind... some definately more than others... but there you have it.
As a working artist, and having my studio at home... life can completely overwhelm the time that is allotted to working on art. The lines of what is work time... and what is home time; often blur. It's easy to fall into the trap of not working on art because other things need done ... laundry... errands... etc. And I am as guilty of that as the next person. It takes alot of discipline to work from home... and I am working on getting more control over that time and trying to be more disciplined.

About my photos for today's post: While running errands today... I happened to drive by this spot way off on Unser Blvd on the westside of ABQ. I love this little pond of water... and it always suprises me when I come upon it. In this desert environment... it is completely astonishing... and out of the realm of what most people think of when they think of living here. Sometimes a little surprise and break in the "normal control" of things is good....

--->photos by Elaine A. Russell

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I took some time this afternoon to go and take some photos. Just outside of town on Route49... in Colesburg... is the WaterWheel Farm. I think it is still owned by the Regis Family, who live nearby. Either way... it is stunningly beautiful. Even with winter's coat still on.... and spring but a whisper away... it is still gorgeous.



And so... Kristin, Sabrina and I all walked around the farm, ponds and such. This red winged-blackbird kept calling to me... but stayed just far enough away that I really couldn't get a great shot of him.... but I tried.



There is a creek that feeds the several ponds on the farm... and it was bubbling with fresh cool water from the hills surrounding the farm ...



Sabrina found several gopher and rabbit holes to investigate... and was having a wonderful time frolicking about. We weren't there maybe an hour or so... but it was timed right so that we had the opportunity to see the sun beginning to set while we were there...



We then drove to get my mom from the hospital from her visit with my dad. My mom is quite sick with the bronchitis... her cough is just awful. She is on a good dose of steroids as well as antibiotics now... and the meds are giving her some fits as well (hot flashes, really flushed and sore cheeks, upset stomach, etc). I think she is just plain wore out.

Kristin also came down with the flu this am... although tonight she seems a bit better for having taken some medicine and gotten out in the sun...




And then there's my dad. He is not doing well. Seems like every day he is getting a little worse. He is on nebulizers now for a bad cough, and continues to be distended in the abdomen and very swollen in his legs. Additionally, he is becoming somewhat lethargic... and has no appetite at all. I just don't know what to do...



On the home front... my son and his girlfriend have gotten engaged... and are planning their wedding! They are anxious to begin their new life together... and want to get things moving along. So much has happened while I have been gone... I just can't believe it...

And tonight my hubby told me that he picked up this week's issue of the ALIBI ( the local ABQ newspaper we get)... and it looks like I have WON their annual photo contest in the category of "manipulated images"... holy cow!

It all seems like such a merry-go-round at the moment.... I can't process it all. But I am trusting that everything will work out just the way it is supposed to... and I just need to "keep calm and carry on"... as the saying goes.....


**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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

I am late in posting today... I have intentions of posting earlier in the day... and somehow it just doesn't happen. I don't know if it's from all those years of working night shift... but I really do more productive work at night. Plus... it's kind of a meditative thing to write my blog post summing up my day... at the very end of my day.

Still in the Lupus flare... annoying. I have been inordinately tired... and not getting much done. But it is simply nothing compared to what is going on with my parents. Tomorrow, they are driving a fair distance to go to a specialty hospital so that my dad can get some surgery done to combat his newly diagnosed bone cancer with mets. I am not sure what all they are going to do... and frankly, neither is he.

And so... feeling a bit low... and frustrated... and sad... I went down to the river late this afternoon towards sunset. I love the water. It always has a very zen/ meditative effect on me. I used to always dream of living near the ocean... but really; any body of water will do. And so, I trekked down to the river's edge. It was awesome. There were Canadian geese, ducks, bunnies... and the more I walked about... the calmer and more clear I felt.






Simply Living Tip for the Day: relax. Life can be sooo stressful sometimes... and if you let it build up inside... whammo. The good news is... there are as many ways to de-stress as there are stressors. You just need to find the ones that work for you. Pick one... and try it every day for a week or two. ... then take note of how it made you feel. If it worked.. great! If not... try another...

Here is a good link with the top 10 ways to de-stress: HERE

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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)

waterfall

photo by Elaine A. Russell

When I was doing the 9x9 show at the Factory on 5th, there was this awesome water installation just outside the south end studios. I am not sure who made it, but it has an incredibly calming effect on me. I have always been drawn to water... and even man-made installations are no exception.
The photo for today is of the installation... using a slow exposure, and slightly saturated colors.

I am in the in-between times. Getting ready for the Aki Matsuri show on the 27th..... trying to get my finances and such in order so that we can fix up our house.... downsizing our stuff... etc.
I think the next few months are probably going to be a healing and rejuvinating time for me. A time for the finishing of old projects, to make way for new. A time to figure out what I really really want, and forming plans to make it happen. And also ... a time to really enjoy what I have.

kicking and screaming into the digital age.....

------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell

So -- I have discovered the wonderful world of digital effects. Now, mind you... I am VERY VERY old school when it comes to photography. I believe the simpler, the better.... and I am very weird about this whole digital craze.

That said.. my daughter is a child of the digital age.. and loves the crapped out Nikon D70 we have that barely works. Instant graitification, not unlike when I used to have a Polaroid.


So. I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the very confusing world of digital effects.. but I think I have found a program that even I can use to tweak some photos and play around.


What do ya think ?

Goddess approved....


---------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell with Holga digital effects

Usually I clean the house on Mondays.. but I have been pretty sick lately, and just wasn't up to it. So, fortunately, the laundry is mostly caught up, the dishes are caught up.. and my daughter swept the floors for me.
I got to thinking about things that I really really enjoy doing. I am a gardener. I love to dig my hands in the soil. Now, if you saw my yard, you would probably question my ability to actually do this... but.
At christmas time instead of have a large real tree, or a fake tree (last year I gave our tree and most all our decorations away to a family that needed it)....we got a 2 foot tall real pin tree in a pot from Home Depot. I have been trying to figure out the best place to put it in the yard... and the best place was always seeming to be where our peach tree was(it died last year). I really wanted to put the pine tree there.. but was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull up all the roots necessary to get the pine tree in.
Well ---- low and behold.. I went to try to dig up the roots... and it went surprisingly well. Apparently I had given the roots enough time to sufficiently rot so that they were easy to pull up. So. I got the little baby tree in the ground, pulled some weeds that were trying to come up in the area... and watered it.
Just as I finished, a very gentle rain came down and assisted in watering the baby tree.... Goddess approved.