Tag: photos

balls, dropped and otherwise

In about half an hour, many around the world will watch the ball drop in Times Square. I’m not sure whether I’ll watch that ball drop, but here are a few balls that I’ve watched in the last couple of weeks. (“Watched” in the sense of “looked at while I took a photo.”)

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A shiny glass ball on my Christmas tree.

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A soccer ball, and the bowl shaped depression it left when it was frozen in a puddle.

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A new ball for the puppy, out on the frozen slush on the back patio.

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A glittery decorative ball on the sparkling aftermath of a craft project.

 

While it had some good times, 2016 was a tough year in many ways. I feel like a dropped a lot of balls. Here’s hoping the new year has me successfully juggling my various projects.

Happy New Year, in any case!

look whose stocking (again)

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On Friday, I helped out in my son’s classroom holiday party. We were encouraged to share holiday traditions. I organized a craft making little felt stocking ornaments, and shared the story of the time my family made our own Christmas stockings. (It’s amazing to realize that I wrote the post about that 10 whole years ago.)

a disappointing diversion

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I’m not feeling organized enough to post anything substantive, so I thought I should offer some sort of diversion. Flipping through my photos for something fun or moderately entertaining resulted in an inspiration deficit. Happily, I found this diversion. This sign was one I saw in Dublin in 2014.

However, it was clear that the sign did not offer as much diversion as one might hope. It simply indicated that the path was closed, and that pedestrians would need to go around the fenced area. In other words (or in one other word), what Americans like me would call a “detour.”

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Of course, I find the prospect of marking prospective diversions to be in itself somewhat diverting. I would like to see more signs directing people to unspecified fun.

only a little sun

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Me pinching the little tiny winter sun. From 2012.

Today is the winter solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. (All of my days seem to go too quickly, so I barely noticed that this was the shortest day. I am looking forward to the days getting longer again, even though that doesn’t actually mean I’ll find more time…It will be nice to start having more sun.)

curling up

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This weekend was largely uneventful, but somehow also neither productive nor relaxing. I think what I need to do now is just curl up and go to sleep. (But I’m still posting something. This curled up little leaf caught my eye a few days ago, catching some late afternoon rays in a parkling lot.)

making tracks

After many long years without pets, our home is once again graced with the pitter-patter of (not-so-little) paws. I have enjoyed not just hearing these paws, but observing the prints they make outside.

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Of course, the puppy isn’t the only creature to make tracks around our house. The wild turkeys leave a delightful pattern of arrows in the snow.

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leaves and ice

img_4629It’s time of year when my phone fills up with photos of ice. This time of year is, naturally, close on the heels of the time of year when my phone fills up with photos of leaves.

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It may not shock you to know that in this transition from late fall into winter, I sometimes also take photos of leaves and ice together.

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resistance is not futile

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I engaged in an act of political resistance this week. I sent a letter to each of the 20 electors of Pennsylvannia to urge them to consider casting their vote for anyone who shows better respect for international diplomacy and the office of president than the president-elect. I don’t expect my letters to change any minds. There’s a good chance my letters won’t even be read, that they won’t arrive before the electoral college meets. That they will be buried in the bags of letters being sent. Even so, I wanted to add my plea to those of many thousands of others to voice that the upcoming administration does not have a mandate to carry out policy changes that put our world at risk.

As an aside, when I stopped by the post office to buy my stamps and mail my letters, I was amused by one of the signs in this quaint little scene at the back of the building.

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“Do not climb or jump on or off the dock. Use stairs or ramp.”

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It is rare that we are publicly invited to jump off stairs in public buildings. (But I did resist the temptation.)

 

eye-catching ice

The puddles on our driveway and paths can be treacherous when they freeze, but they can also provide a gallery of fascinating shapes and pattern. These are a few of the many photos I took today. (I took several photos in the morning, and was surprised that the ice hadn’t melted by afternoon.)