Barbed Wire...

What thoughts does the words "barbed wire" stir in your mind?  For the longest time I thought people were calling it "bobbed" wire...those southern accents will get ya confused sometimes. :-D  When I found out what it was really called, it all made sense, but I still hear "bobbed" wire whenever anyone says "barbed" wire, regardless of how they say it.  Let's see if I can find my point...oh yeah, what thoughts does it stir up in your mind.  For me, as a child, barbed wire fences represented safety, boundaries and even danger.  Safety because the bull in the pasture couldn't charge me if I made him mad.  Boundaries because my Grandma could tell me not to go past a certain fence or I would be in BIG trouble.  And danger because on more than one occasion, my back got caught on one of those barbs that ripped through my shirt as I scurried between.  Methiolate burned like crazy when put on an open wound, but it saved me from many a tetanus shot and infection, so as much as I hated that pink stuff, it was my friend.

As an adult, when I see a barbed wire fence, it still represents, safety and boundaries.  It doesn't represent danger since I'm not likely to be scurrying between the wires anymore...I'll find myself a gate to go through these days.  It reminds me of childhood, of a simpler time in my life.  Of lazy days of summer when my brother and cousin and I would run all over the hill that my grandparents home sat upon.  Of hauling 5-gallon jugs down to my great-grandparents home to fill with the sweetest well water I've ever tasted.  Of going down to the river bottoms and picking blackberries and eating almost as many as we picked and getting in trouble for eating the ones that still were a little green, more red and not even turning black yet.  Of sitting on the bridge over the little creek at the bottom of Tohona hill, throwing pebbles at the little black bugs that skimmed over the surface of the water, calling them "PT Boats" and living in an imaginary world that can only live for a very short time in our lives.  Digging my feet in the softest dirt to cool them off in the July/August heat of an Oklahoma summer...such wonderful memories are stirred just by seeing a barbed wire fence.

What is it in your life that stirs up wonderful childhood memories, a scent, a taste, a smell, a song, or maybe a photo?  Please share in the comment section.  Blogs are always more fun when those who read them interact.  I think I have all the kinks worked out in the comments now.  Till next time...

Billy Creek...

One of my fondest memories as a child were the Sunday afternoon drives we would take as a family, usually to the mountains or to visit my grandparents.  I remember one Sunday, we headed to the mountains.  We were going some place new, for me, a place called Billy Creek.  It had to have been April, because it was warm.  I remember wearing sandals because my Mom had a hard and fast rule that you did NOT go barefoot before May 1st, something about the ground not being warm enough yet. :-)  Anywho, we got to Billy Creek and it was running full from the spring rains...it was amazing and yet terrifying to see how fast the water was rushing through.  There was a boulder sitting out a few feet from the bank and my step-dad jumped over to it and told us kids to run and jump and he would catch us.  My brother, being the not-afraid-of-anything-daredevil jumped first.  I jumped next and my foot went into the water...yea!  That meant that I got to take my sandals off so they could  dry on the warm rock and I got to go barefoot before May 1st!!!  I remember those things so vividly whenever the creek is mentioned because it was a time when we had fun as a family.  There weren't any bad things to mar it.  That was the only time that we went there, so throughout my adult life, I've wondered if it was just a figment of my imagination or real.  I didn't know where it was or how to get back to it until my Mom moved to the little community of Muse.  Less than a half mile from the turn off to BILLY CREEK!

Every time I have gone to visit my Mom, I've thought to myself that I ought to go on down and see if it is as I remember it from my childhood.  Every time, I run out of time...until this Thanksgiving.  I finally made it back to Billy Creek and this is what I found...

I couldn't find the same boulder, but what I found wasn't too far off from the memories I had.  The fall colors were beautiful and I got to see it again with my son and my grand-daughter.  She will have the memory of finding the perfect rock to throw into the creek to make the "kerplunk" sound.  Not every rock will do it.  She will also remember that when Granna says not to throw the big rocks that she really should listen otherwise you might end up face first in the creek, which she came very close to doing.  That was enough to not try it again. 

As I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, I concentrated on how thankful I am for the "happy" memories that I have from childhood.  So many of the devastating memories have taken over too much of my life and while I do my best to finally deal with and get over them, I want to take hold of the happy moments and hold them dear.  I want to share them with my children and grandchildren and those who want to be a part of my life.  I am counting my blessings and naming them one by one...so for this post, I am thankful for the memory of Billy Creek...a small body of water that brought me joy as a child and has stayed with me for many years.  What are you thankful for today?

Princess Ladybug!

This is the month that people take time to list what they are thankful for on Facebook.  I have done my fair share of thankful posts and even if I don't post every day, I try to remind myself of what I have to be thankful for.  Among those that rank high upon my list is my husband, our two sons, their wives and our wonderful grandchildren.  I am thankful for each one for different reasons.  As no two snowflakes are the same, neither are people.  Today, I am thankful for Princess Lilli.

She is our first grandchild.  To understand her importance is to realize that I wanted to have more children, but God in His sovereignty chose to only give me two.  I also wanted a daughter that I could share my creativity and girly things with and once again God chose to give me sons.  My husband wanted a daughter so he could be her knight in shining armor.  So, when we found out that we were having a grand daughter, we were thrilled.  Does that mean that I love my sons less?  Absolutely NOT...they are my world and I am so very blessed to have them in my life, but this post isn't about them.  Lilli proclaims that she is "Papa's Princess!"  She also declares that she is my "ladybug".  The funny thing about that is Lilli has no idea that while growing up, I have always had a fascination with ladybugs...I just love them, no rhyme or reason, I just do because they captured my imagination. 

She is a combination of my son and my daughter-in-law.  So much so, that in some areas it is hard to determine where she gets her attitude from, but on occasion, I catch glimpses of myself in her.  When I took this picture, it was like looking in the mirror as a little girl.  The thoughts, a million miles away, the melancholy caught in an instant, a thought so strong that it stopped her in her tracks and caused her to stop all of that pent up energy to be still for just a moment.  What were you thinking Princess Ladybug?

I have been given the opportunity to share all that I wanted to with a daughter, with a grand daughter!  I can giggle and have tea parties, share the wisdom that I have learned and be creative with her, I can be her best friend because I do not have to be her parent and that gives me an influence in her life stronger than if she had been my daughter.

She is strong willed.  While that may get her in trouble now, it will serve her well as she gets older.  She will have the strength and courage of her convictions and no one will be able to sway her once she has made up her mind.  She is loving, trusting, merciful, compassionate and she desperately wants to know that she is important, that her life counts.  I've walked in her shoes and it is important that I remind her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made and that God loved her so much that long before she was a twinkle in her daddy's eye, He sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for her reconciliation to Him, because she is THAT important.  I pray that she will continue to be loving, compassionate, merciful, that she will follow God with her whole heart, soul and mind, that she will be a prayer warrior and an example of Christ's love.  I am so blessed to have this little one in my life, for the opportunity to be her Granna!

Diamonds in the Trees...

I love to see the light streaming through the leaves of the trees.  It has always reminded me of diamonds.  When I was a kid, I would lay on the ground and look up into the branches and watch as the breeze would move the leaves and shift the design of the light upon the tree and ground.  I have always had an over active imagination, so I would make up stories in my mind about the animals or people who lived in the trees and what their lives might be like based upon what was happening with the diamonds of light shining through the leaves.   

Time passes and childhood disappears with the cares of life.  Some never grow up and that isn't a good thing.  Some forget how to be a kid and that isn't good either.  Unfortunately for me, I forgot how to be a kid.  My imagination was still over active, but not in a good way.  This last year has been a time for me to learn balance in my life, to find joy in the little things, to learn how to play again.  So, one Sunday afternoon, I took my camera and headed downtown.  I put a blanket on the ground and laid down, staring into the sky.  Remembering what it was like to look into the branches of the tree, watching the diamonds dance and to imagine.  I didn't rush.  I didn't worry about what I needed to get done or where I needed to be.  I just took time to be still, to remember what it is like to be a kid again.  It is the simple things in life that bring the greatest joy.  Listening as the leaves rustle in the wind.  Watching the diamonds dance upon the tree trunk and ground.  Taking time to just be still and to appreciate the wonder of all that God has created.  I look at the photo above and I can still remember what it is like to be a kid again and imagine the diamonds dancing in the trees!

Welcome!

Welcome to my life...one photo at a time!  I am excited about sharing my life with you as well as the photos that I take.  I am passionate about photography.  It is great therapy.  It has been said that a picture is worth a 1000 words.  As a teenager, I painted pictures with words...as an adult, I can't find the words to speak, so now my conversations are through photos.  Please join me as I share my life with you, one photo at a time. I am not one for one-sided conversations, so please, let me know what you think about the photos I share.

When I look at this photo, I see my life.  It is interesting, vibrant, but you don't get too close because you might get poked. I have never allowed people to get too close to me for fear of being hurt, being let down or disappointed.  As of today, those barriers are coming down.  I am half way through my life and I don't have friends that I can go hang out with, shop with, go to dinner with.  When I am asked what I do for fun...I look like a deer caught in headlights...I simply do not have an answer.  Fear has brought me to this place and I do not want to be here any longer.  I am praying that God will send me friends that I can be myself with.  Friends that I can get a mani-pedi with, go to dinner with, hang out with, laugh with.  Friends that I can share my interests with.  This is the start of my new outlook on life.  Thank you for joining me on this journey!  I am looking forward to each day, each comment and each new photo!