June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 10

Topic of the Day

is

"Best Bit of Your Weekend"

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 9

Topic of the Day

is

"Your View Today"

and it may be my view for the entire day today as I sit here with a book in my lap.  Life is good.

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 8

Topic of the Day

is

"6 o'clock"

Well, I missed 6 o'clock yesterday.  Missed it again this morning.  And I'm sure I would miss it again this evening, so I took a picture at 1 o'clock.  I'm retired - 6 o'clock/1 o'clock/whatever.  Let's just say it was coffee o'clock.

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 7

Topic of the Day

is

"Drink"

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 6

Topic of the Day

is

"Hat"

The Sheep Came Back Today for a Little Visit

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 5

Topic of the Day

is

"Sign"

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 4

Topic of the Day

is

"Close-Up"

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 3

Topic of the Day

is

"On Your Plate"

In Your Eyes . . . . by Susan Anderson

Susan makes her home in the far west mountains of NC with her husband and six children. Originally from South Florida, she sees symbolism from oceanside. Deviating from the pearl as the great prize, she seeks it's source, the oyster. To her, people are like oysters. Not always pretty, hard at work, sometimes in great pain, wrapping their art in nacre and sacrifice. Most oysters don't even produce pearls. They exist for the better of their environment, cleansing marshland so others may enjoy the beauty of their surroundings.


In your eyes, the light the heat...I see the doorways to a thousand churches. 


Forget "The Notebook." The movie "Say Anything" is the one that taps the sap for me. Peter Gabriel's song, "In Your Eyes" makes the movie, or does the movie make the song? Or is it John Cusack's portrayal of Lloyd Dobbler that just melts my heart? I guess it's the whole thing put together. Maybe it's the notion that Lloyd reminds me of Rob. His girlfriend in the movie, Diane Court, reminds me of me, minus her lustrous auburn hair and Honor Society medals.

So in honor of our 25th wedding anniversary, I post these scenes set to the song, which haunts and brings me back to 1987, even though the movie came out in 1989. The clothes, music, and cultural pulse of our generation is portrayed well, one year before our first child was born.

Diane and Lloyd were approaching high school graduation. Rob and I met in our junior year of college. We married soon after finishing undergrad in 1987.

Lloyd's goal in life is to be Diane's one and only. His unassumming humor, gentility, and love win her over. That's pretty much how it was with Rob and me. Rob wasn't just another guy. Lloyd's friends, (who are girls) advise him, "You're not a guy. The world is full of guys. Be a man."

The strained relationship that Diane had with her father resembled the struggles I had with my Dad. Different, but similar. The endearing part is how Lloyd supports without invading her space or manipulating. He serves as a leaning post when Diane is strong, and even when she rejects Lloyd, he hangs in there when she unadmittedly needs him the most.

Yea, we had a short break up. Rob says it was six weeks. I say it was two. Nevertheless, we figured out that we couldn't live without each other.

Diane's window is open. She, restless lying on her bed, hearing the lyrics, "and all my instincts, they return, and the grand facade, so soon will burn...without the noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside."The classic scene of Lloyd holding the boombox over his tall body, playing "In Your Eyes" from a cassette tape, is totally Rob. What guts! What heart. By the way,(taking a stab at what make his car is), I love the old Malibu Cutlass.

Lloyd teaches Diane how to drive a stick shift. I already knew how to do that, but the instructional portion of the movie is cute. Diane is at ease with Lloyd's gentle guidance. He isn't patronizing in machismo. He just wants to be with her. Their affection is at once natural and desperate.

Lloyd says his main talent is being in love with Diane. That's how it lasts 25 years. In terms of being married to me? Rob is good at it.

And during takeoffs and landings, he still holds my hand.

Company comes to call . . . .

Remember last year when we had deer, sheep and a goat all coming to call - http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/2011/06/life-is-good.html?

Well, we haven't seen Little Deer for a while, and we haven't seen Ms. Goat.  But one of the sheep dropped by this morning, and brought her two babies with her for us to meet.

After spending a little time in the driveway and the carport, they wandered down the bank to the pond.

They seem happy and content and we are too.

Life is good.

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 2

Topic of the Day

is

"Empty"

June Photo A Day Challenge - Day 1

Topic of the Day

is

"Morning"

This is a picture of Harley just waking up this morning.  Silly puppy.

May Photo A Day Challenge - Day 31

Topic of the Day

is

"Something Beautiful"

Doc Watson

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson

March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012

In 2011, a life-size statue of Watson was dedicated in Boone, N.C., at the spot where Watson had played decades earlier for tips to support his family, according to the Folklore statement. At Watson's request the inscription read, "Just One of the People."

May Photo A Day Challenge - Day 30

Topic of the day

is

"Your Personality"

May Photo A Day Challenge - Day 29

Topic of the Day

 is

"A Number"

May Photo A Day Challenge - Day 28

Topic of the Day

is

"The Weather Today"

Perfect for a little exploring around the creek.

Celebrating the Color Pink (and playing a little game!)

Last year I did a blog "Celebrating the Color Red."  I promised myself I'd do more of these celebratons of colors, but it's taken me until now to collect some images I like, and to come up with a bit of a twist.

You're invited to join me in a game.  The rules for the game are at the end of this piece.  And it should be fun.   And it can possibly even be evil   heh heh heh . . . .

Today we're going to Celebrate the Color Pink.  Once again, I used Kate Smith's wonderful website, SensationalColor.com.

 

 

Introducing pink

Brighter pinks are youthful, fun, and exciting, while vibrant pinks have the same high energy as red; they are sensual and passionate without being too aggressive. Toning down the passion of red with the purity of white results in the softer pinks that are associated with romance and the blush of a young woman's cheeks. It's not surprising that when giving or receiving flowers, pink blossoms are a favorite. Pink is the color of happiness and is sometimes seen as lighthearted. For women who are often overworked and overburdened, an attraction to pink may speak of a desire for the more carefree days of childhood.

How the color pink affects us physically

• Bright pinks, like the color red, stimulate energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate. They also encourage action and confidence.

• Pink has been used in prison holding cells to effectively reduce erratic behavior.

Pink around the globe

• The pink ribbon is an internationally recognized symbol of hope and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

• In Japan, the color pink has a masculine association. The annual spring blooming of the pink-blossomed cherry trees (the Sakura) is said to represent the young Japanese warriors who fell in battle in the prime of life (the Samurai).

Jaipur City is a foremost tourist attraction in India because of its superlative forts, grandiose palaces, vivacious temples, multicolored bazaars, pulsating streets, and its distinguished pink color to which the city owes its oft-used name "The Pink City."

• The Chinese had not recognized the color pink until they had contact with Western culture and the Chinese word for pink translates as “foreign color.”

• Marrakesh is another city associated with the color pink. It is sometimes refered to as the "Rose City" because of its salmon-pink colored buildings and the red clay of its terrain.

Religious & mythological associations with pink

• Pink signifies happiness and joy in Catholicism.

Political associations with pink

• A pink triangle is frequently used to represent gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The origin of the pink triangle goes back to when Nazis labeled their prisoners in concentration camps. Men who had been jailed because of supposed homosexuality had to wear the pink triangle on their clothing. In more recent times, this symbol is a sign of pride.

Interesting information about pink

• In 1947, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the color "hot pink" to western fashion. She dubbed the shade "Shocking Pink," though today the color is more well-known as "magenta."

• First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, who loved and wore pink so much it became known as “Mamie Pink”.

• Pink encourages friendliness while discouraging aggression and ill-will.

• Since the color pink is said to have a tranquilizing effect, sport's teams sometimes use pink to paint the locker room used by opposing teams.

• Some studies of the color pink suggest that male weightlifters seem to lose strength in pink rooms, while women weightlifters tend to become stronger around the color.

• Pastries taste better when they come out of pink boxes or served on pink plates (it only works with sweets). Pink makes us crave sugar.

Companies or brands identified with pink

• Victoria’s Secret

• Pepto-Bismol

• Mary Kay

Popular phrases that include pink

• Tickled pink: to be happy

• In the pink: in good health

• A pink elephant: term to describe hallucinations during intoxication

• Pinkie finger: the smallest finger on the human hand

• Pink slip: notice that employment is ending

• Pink collar: refers to a particular class of jobs once only filled by women

Songs with pink in the title

• "Mr. Pink Eyes" by The Cure on the "Lovecats" single

• "Pink" by Aerosmith

• "Pink & Blue" by OutKast on "The Love Below"

• "Pink Cadillac" by Bruce Springsteen

• "Pink Cashmere" by Prince on The Hits 1

• "A Pink Dream" by The Cure on the "Mint Car" single

• "Pink Elephant" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies

• "Pink Houses" by John Cougar Mellencamp

• "Pink Maggit" by Deftones

• "Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini

Pink and our sense of smell

• Victoria's Secret PINK® Eau de Parfum Spray. Bright. Effervescent. Sophisticated. Sexy. Modern. Confident. Playful. Dab it on. Expect the unexpected.

• Grapefruit: A tart, citrus scent. A great refreshing summer scent. Aromatherapy benefits: Balancing, refreshing, cheering. -Scent It.com

• Peony: A scent as sweet and fragrant as the flower itself. A great spring and summer scent. Aromatherapy benefits: Soothing, Romantic, calming, uplifting. -Scent It.com

• "Bubblegum" was the original scent of the pink colored Magic Scents Crayons from Binney & Smith Inc., introduced in 1994 with mostly food scents. However, there were numerous reports that children were eating the food-scented crayons, so the food scents were retired and replaced with non-food scents. The scent for the color pink became "shampoo."

Now - go back and choose your favorite images and build your own story around them.   I've given you loads of material to work with.


This is all about having fun.

Don't worry about how "good" it is, it's all about how "pink" it is!  

Okay - Here's mine:  "Isabella tossed her pink ballet slippers into the corner of her sweet pink bedroom.  Tired of practice, it was time to have some fun.  She pulled on jeans, her pink Frye boots, pink leather jacket and a long pink scarf.  Then she panicked until she finally found her favorite beat up old pink Willie Nelson baseball cap, grabbed her new pink bag on the way out the door of her big pink house and hopped on her old pink bike.  Off she flew down the shady lane through the fall leaves that had a pink glow in the sunshine, heading to the new little pink cafe in town to meet up with her girlfriends. They had promised themselves a day of laughter and indulgence, which included pink cupcakes and pink champagne.  Then she would kill the bastard with her little pink gun."

It's awful?  Well, of course it's awful!  But you get the picture.  It's all about pink.  and having fun.

Your turn!

Have fun!!!