Ember swims in his little tank thinking little fishy thoughts. Bobbing to the surface when I plop some food in. Gliding to the glass to watch me pass by. He is entirely dependent on me, yet he doesn’t worry. What does he have to worry about? He swishes around in clear water, the light comes on, the food falls from heaven, he rests on his plant, he blows bubbles, the light goes out. . .day after day.  I would not mind being Ember for a day, I think it would be peaceful.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

I had to clean Ember’s little tank today, before vacation, hoping my son remembers to feed him while I’m away. Maybe Ember should be a little worried, lol. I placed him in a wine glass for his portrait session, but shhhh don’t tell my husband, he’ll never use that glass again. ;0)

This will be the last post you’ll see in the project until I get back from vacation, sorry I will bombard you when I return, lol.

The evidence is left behind every morning, broken acorns across the patio table.  Further proof that summer is fading.  I could sweep the patio several times a day and still some would remain.  Instead, I’ll let them pile up, there’s more important things than a messy patio.  If your days are numbered, and let’s face it, all of ours are, do you really want every moment filled with the monotony of cleaning up after squirrels?

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

Our first attempt at a little video. The flying squirrels are still coming regularly. I am moving the date on this in case you missed it and because I signed up for a youtube account so hopefully you can view it easier.

I am the juicy grape struggling to come to my full potential while the twisting vine of cancer struggles to confine and snuff out.  I’m so very thankful for the pruners of this world coming to my aid!

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

The chaos of life has been giving me problems with this project, but I’m still trying to dig deep and get these emotions out.  Occasionally I catch myself barely tapping the surface and I know that’s not what this is about and I struggle to go deeper and rip out the root of all the ills that cancer brought to my soul.  Thank you for your words of encouragement, they mean the world to me!

PS – I am currently limited to only using my macro lens.  I hurt myself and cannot tolerate the 8lbs of camera and 400mm lens right now.  I feel like my arm has been cut off.  If you remember me telling you about my missing rib, and showing it to you, if not click here to get the full story, that’s the area of my chest currently give me some pain.  I’m thinking maybe it’s just a pulled muscle from lugging the big camera around so much lately.  Hoping it will work itself out.  Either way, when we come back form vacation it’s time to see the oncologist and get scanned so we’ll find out I’m sure.

When you finish chemo and are finally deemed cancer-free you are thrilled to have met your goal.  You count yourself lucky to have survived the beast, to have battled, and WON!  You spend some time floating in the clouds and regaining your strength.  As time goes on that horrible time in your life gets further in the rearview mirror, but you know the beast is always out there circling.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

While sifting for shark’s teeth we came upon several small crabs. I thought this one was pretty tiny, until I saw. . .

Now he’s tiny! These were taken with my little waterproof point and shoot.

Can you tell he’s no bigger than a penny? It’s so funny to see something that small get all defensive, lol.

Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back here and sign Mr Linky. MM started on Sept 29, 2008 – Thanx to all of you for helping make it such a fun start to the week!

I have been trying to change my attitude towards the chipmunks driving me crazy. They are everywhere, so I might as well embrace them, lol.

Murrieta365

Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.
~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

This butterfly stood out in the sunshine amongst the green.

This one tried to hide in shadows but he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought.

I live in an area where summer is so short that if you blink you will miss it. I have to soak up every flower quickly before they’re gone.  I appreciate their bright colors and smells, knowing that all too soon there will be nothing but white surrounding me.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

The Cedar Waxwings have been unusually cooperative. I really enjoyed watching this pair bounce around eating berries.

The one closest to us would pick a berry, hop over on the branch and give it to the other one.

The rest sat far above while these two had their intimate dinner.

I’m assuming they were a pair as they never got far from each other.

Sometimes we have to shave away the crap to get to the point.  Our minds get so filled with statistics, remedies and preventatives that we’re lost in the fragments.  Instead of looking at all the things we “wish” were, we need to be thankful for what we still have and rebuild from the debris.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

I just had a tough time choosing between three photos so thought I’d share the other two I was torn between.

People need people, even more so when we’re sick, or going through tough times. When I was diagnosed I kind of shut people out. I didn’t want to bring them down too, or I didn’t think they could possibly understand, or I feared running them off with my whining. What I should have done was accept their encouragement, their understanding. I felt vulnerable, like my body had failed me, ashamed. It was hard for me to let people in to help me get through it. Looking back, I should have accepted their hands, their ears, their hearts.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

A few weeks ago I drew hopscotch on the patio and now it is necessary every time the grandkids come over. Come on, what 1 & 3 year olds don’t like to hop? lol

This time after hopping for a while Tristan wrote some things in the squares.  I really didn’t pay much attention to what he had done until his mama came to pick him up and said, “Oh he wrote his numbers”  He had written 1, 2, 3, and 4, she asked him if he could write 5 and he continued on.  He has been counting for quite some time but we didn’t realize he could write the numbers to.  Mom says he has been doing it for a while and she just caught on to what it was, asked him about it and he said yes. lol

To help you see his numbers I put the number in red and also in the direction he wrote it.