TUM - Clock

What an exciting few weeks.  I loved having my mom and dad visit, it was so, so sad to see them leave, especially since I don't know when I will see them again.  And then just after they left, we had winter storm Nemo.

Nemo did more damage than any other storm since we arrived, including Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Sandy.  We could not drive down any of the streets leaving our house, because there were trees and cables down everywhere.  Big trees.  We lost power for four days (and therefore heat) and we lost all comms - no internet, no phone, no tv.  We were all fine, thankfully, and nobody we know was hurt.  Friends had trees down in their yard, a few people had trees and branches come through their roof, but we are all okay.  We also got about 18 inches of snow, a foot and a half.  And I think the storm made it onto the list of the top five worse storms in the history of Boston based on snow fall within a certain time frame.  Let's just say it was horrendous. 

We eventually went out and bought a generator to power the furnace.  We did not want to face freezing pipes on top of no heat, because frozen pipes burst.  After the storm there was a lot of cleanup, and this week we had another storm, only 8 inches this time, and without the wind, but some people lost power all over again.  I can't even imagine.  Although the generator we bought also powers some lights, the fridge and the electric frying pan so we would be okay, but still.

I am glad that we live where we live.  The communication from the state of Massachusetts leading up to the storm, including a ban on all movement during the height of the storm, their communication about the severity was dead on, and their mobilization post storm was incredible, the National Guard was mobilized to help with rescues and tree removal, and electricians were brought in from as far a field as Minnesota to help with the restoration of power.  It was truly amazing.   And despite the enormous amount of damage, we were out and about and the roads were cleared and power restored within days.  I don't think we would have had such a recovery in other parts of the world.

Storms aside, snow aside, winter aside, I am in a funk.  I think the last few days have been such an emotional drain, the farewell, the worry about the storm, the frustration at being powerless.  Literally.  And Mark and I have both been sick.  I haven't felt like doing anything, and everything feels like an effort.  I hope I snap out of it soon.

Clock seemed an appropriate theme for this week, because we were holed up inside, listening to the wind and watching the clock, waiting for the storm to pass.  It battered and blew and huffed and puffed for 24 hours, unrelenting.  Mariette's picture was even more apt, since her clock was broken and icy looking, so we will start with her image:

 And then my picture, all our clocks are digital so I wanted a different take:

And finally Claire, this is of her daughter looking through her favorite clock:

Lovely Claire.  Well, that's it for me this post, our next theme proved to be delightfully challenging, so until then . . .

TUM - Drip

Oh . . . my . . . word.  I had this great idea about colored paint drops falling into clear water in a vase, and photographing them from the side.  And it worked.  Except it didn't.  I am still in a funk, and didn't have the patience in the end just gave up.  BUT given the amount of snow we have had, and the warm weather after, and then the snow, and then the warm weather, and then the cold . . . well, you get the picture!  So I got the picture, and I saved me from myself:

Mariette's is just lovely, and she got it because she had the patience to take hundreds of photos for 'the right one' - good for you Mariette!  Nice photo!:

And then we have Claire, with her exquisite photo of Skyla with a drop of cream:

I finished on Claire's photo because next week's theme is as feminine as her photo, and since all our takes are so different each week I can't wait to see what everybody does with it!  See you then!

TUM - Edge

Okay, nearly there.  This was a very, very interesting theme.  In the end, since I couldn't find anything in my natural world that satisfied my desire to do it justice, I had to . . . you ready for this?  Stage it! - gasp!  I do find I am doing that more and more with this blog, and I think that's a good thing:

 

 I would have liked to spend more time on this, and try to get in the whole handle, but given the 45 seconds I had before my daughter got tired of holding the torch, I think it's a passable shot.  Linda joined us this week, so she is next:

My handsome nephew's strapping calves as he used the edge of the step to flex his muscles ;-)  Did he know he was posing for TUM Linda?

Mariette:

The orchid that came back from the edge of darkness to spread joy in this world in pink and white!  Orchids always make me think of my gran, special lady - she loved them.  Nice Mariette.

And Claire:

A young girl, on the edge of her seat!  I remember the anticipation of those days, pity as we get older things become less 'wooo hoooo!!!!  OMG!! I am so EXCITED!!  yippeee!  can't wait!!!!' and more 'I am looking forward to Friday night . . .' - live it up girl!

It is going to be a challenge to find a creative take on next week, instead of just the obvious.  I don't know what I was thinking, but if I have power after the storm and time will tell, I will get my photo done!

TUM - Love

Such a loaded word.  And I thought I would have PLENTY of opportunity with my mom and dad visiting - I haven't seen my dad in nearly five years, and my mom in two-and-a-half, and it is too long.  Our time together was so precious, and it felt like love lay over this house like a delicate veil, so delicate you hesitate to touch it for fear it will disintegrate, or disappear and just like that, it's gone.  Has three weeks passed already?

We didn't take many photographs, strange how that sometimes happens when on other occasions you use up multiple memory cards and run your camera battery flat.  I think it was because the visit was so loaded with emotion, both joy and sadness making it bittersweet.  I tried so hard to live in the moment, wrap my arms around each treasured memory, and burn the images of my mom in my kitchen, my dad in my dining room, or driving them around in my car into my mind so that when they had left, I could recall them in spirit and remember what that was like.  It felt almost too sacred to try and capture on camera.  And since it was impossible to feel the love without feeling the pain of saying goodbye again, this topic is as loaded as the word.  

I did find something to photograph, a little card my daughter made for me to let me know what a cool mom she thinks I am.  The love of a family as seen through the heart of a little girl . . .

Claire's picture is precious.  The love our animals have for us is so unconditional and wholesome, lovely, lovely photo Clarie:

And Mariette, who took a photo that she loves to tell us how much she loves this hobby.  I do too Mariette love this hobby, and I love your photo.  

If you would like to take more frosted photos, we are expecting a blizzard with one to two feet of snow to hit tomorrow night . . . it's a North Easter - they are always mean and nasty and have wicked bad tempers!

That's it for me this post, our next theme had me thinking of Shrek all week long: 'I'm a donkey on the edge!!!!'

TUM - Star

Gracious, my mind and body feels weary - like I need a good long sleep.  That's how you always feel when you have a cold I guess.  You also feel lost in a heavy mist, and seem to understand or perceive the world around you rather than participating in a world that is in clear focus.  A little dangerous when you are trying to take photographs and 'clear' and focus' are the main objectives!  Here is my take:

Itsy-bitsy starfish earrings.  So sweet.  Next up, Mariette:

I knew what this was right away - all the years working in hobby stores I guess.  Paint, specifically made for models (planes, trains, boats etc).  Tamiya must be the hobbyists choice because it is international brand (hence identifiable across seas) and crazy popular.  Then Claire:

Cute!  I think I need to borrow that for the next 4th of July ;-)

Well ladies, that's it.  I hope this email isn't as foggy and disconnected as I feel today.  Thanks for visiting!

TUM - Grey

I took our photo early this week and sent it off.  TUM photo - check!  Had I waited until last night I could have captured the lovely grey mist that wrapped itself around everything and softened the landscape.  But then again it was also quite wet and cold, so maybe not.  Me first:

Like I said in an earlier post, I am not driving myself crazy with photography magazines and experts - so, given my circumstances, I like it well enough.  Claire up next:

Just lovely Claire.  Truly.  It should be the cover of a novel!   And finally, Mariette:

Mariette didn't love her picture and decided to call it quits before she got fed up.  I think it is lovely, nice angle Mariette.  (Don't feel bad, if it were me I probably would have smashed the plate in a tantrum!)

And finally, Linda joins us again!  YAY!  Here is her pic, my sweet niece wrapped in a grey towel:

And yes, we are jealous.  A hot summers day, and swimming in January.  Sigh.  I could tell you that we are in for a dusting of snow tonight, but I don't think that will have the same effect, well, maybe on it would on Kayla Fern!

Well, that's it for this week, next week we go to dream land . . . I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight . . .

TUM (or is it really TUF?) - Sugar

Well, the die has been cast and we have the themes in place for 2013.  I don't want to start 2013 with all sorts of promises - but I have been feeling for a while that I need to put more effort into my photographs and stop relying on my iPhone so much.  I was doing splendidly with this hobby a few years back, but the more I read, and the more I learned, and the more photography magazines I poured over the more frustrated I got.  I started getting gear-envy.  This remote clicker, that lovely flash, diffusers, lens ring lights, fancy tripods, beautiful lenses and then . . . sigh . . . camera bodies.  My camera body is probably about 7 years old now, which is old for digital camera technology, and I started to outgrow the functionality it offered.

In addition, I haven't had access to my own computer for years and once the photos are in the camera, I didn't have anywhere to put them, and I didn't have decent enough software to play with them either.  And I didn't have time.  Eventually, about two years ago I put my camera away in the back of a dark, dark cupboard.  

It is only recently when I took on an assignment for a friend and dusted my old trusty off that I realized how much I have missed it.  And how much I do enjoy taking photographs.  So I have brought my old friend out of exile, and have decided that I should just enjoy the process, and play with composition and light and subject matter - which is where the art really comes from anyway, and just enjoy it.  That being said, in a promise to myself to try and spend more time playing with the hobby, here is my shot this week:

It's a start.  It was taken in my kitchen amidst the coffee rings on the un-wiped counter and breadcrumbs while I waited for the kettle to boil.  I took this one too, although it didn't speak to me as much:

We do these sugar crusted cranberries here, I wanted to make some and photograph them because they are so pretty, but these fake plastic berries - definitely not cranberries - on a $2 Christmas wreath is as close as I got. 

And finally, I had to reboil the kettle twice more because I got carried away:

And this one . . .

My husband eventually did get his tea, and I think I may have some Christmas card prospects for next year!  

Back to our theme, Mariette also found herself in post-Christmas mode I guess, her photo is just gorgeous!!!  Mariette, if you have a lot of these left, put them in a ziploc bag, smash them up and bake the crumbs into sugar cookies, you won't be sorry:

And Claire, so very nice to have you back.  Here's wishing you peace and love in 2013:

Next week won't be as sweet, or as colorful, but it presents a delightful challenge!  No more books or magazines for me.  I have decided my camera and I are going to voluntarily excommunicate ourselves, I am not going to read a darn thing and I am ignoring the experts.  I am going to let the subject matter speak to me, and the light, and I am going to just enjoy taking pretty pictures and getting reacquainted with my old friend.

Blog Your Heart: Husbands and Children

A while back I included the story of Sandra in my blog about husbands and children.  Today I received the very sad news that she passed away yesterday.

I feel so deeply sad.  She fought a very hard fight, she earned every extra day she spent with her husband and daughters, she fought for every extra hour.  Sandra was an inspiration, and her story speaks to how privileged we are to feel as though we have forever, and her passing serves as a reminder that we should not take forever for granted.

Hold your babies close tonight, enjoy your snuggle with your husband, and let's honor Sandra's memory by cherishing each moment we are privileged enough to take for granted, and each minute, hour and day we do not have to wage a war to be a part of.

Sandra was an amazing woman, I heard her roar . . .

TUM - Garden

Well, 'twas the day before Christmas and all was quiet . . .' - HA!  Pizza night, girls sleep over and nail painting (for Christmas, it's tradition!) equals anything BUT quiet!  But it was fun, and it is so nice to be surrounded by family and cousins and giggles.

This weeks' theme was Garden, and I am going ahead and posting because Linda is visiting on this side of the sea, so I don't expect a photo from her and Claire has a bunch of people over for a fun Christmas herself, and that also equals anything BUT quiet in a pleasant kind of chaos.  So, I think it is just Mariette and I this week, and she is first with this beautiful shot:

I love dew drops, and this could have been taken in my own garden after the rain we had last week.  Our overseas family keeps wishing it would snow but it is not cold enough yet (although they definitely don't want to hear that it is going to get colder!  Maybe no snow is not so bad . . . )

My photo is of some colored bottles hanging in our apple tree.  We celebrated Winter Solstice on Friday night, because now we start to gain a little sunlight everyday, inching towards long summer nights again.  We also celebrated surviving the end of the world!  Personally, I just think the Mayan who was scribing the calendar just got a cramp in his arm and then had a sudden, tragic and fatal accident so couldn't get back to work and since they didn't believe in cross training back then, they couldn't figure out how he crunched his numbers and couldn't pick up where he left off . . . that's my theory anyway!  

In celebrating Winter Solstice, we all wrote down the things we needed to expel from 2012, things that held us back, things that we needed to make peace with or let go.  We burned the pieces of paper with a candle, and then hung the candles in the apple tree facing East to greet the rising sun, the mark of a new day, and a new beginning.  It was such a fun evening, much wine, lots of munchies and some good belly laughs!
 

I wish everybody a truly blessed and peaceful Christmas, and a wonderful, prosperous, healthy 2013!

TUM - Best of 2012

It was fun to disappear down the rabbit hole and look back on this past year, and my oh my, what a year we have all had.  Claire was studying and took on a new and rather challenging job - your drive and ability to get through so much is admirable Claire.  I don't know Mariette very well, but I feel like 2012 was the year of self discovery and self love for her.  The journey is never done, family is a wonderful terrible complicated beautiful thing and there are never easy answers, if you find them at all.  Linda started strong and lost her mojo, which is a shame because she is our founder, instigator and glue.  We limped along, but we missed her.  Linda, something tells me that it is time to start blogging again, 2013 is sure to give you A LOT of material!!

This blog is something special.  It is like a journal, you pour out your heart, share your thoughts, shoot the breeze or have a giggle.  Only, it is not lonely like a journal.  With this blog, I feel heard.  Somebody is listening, they are not trying to fix anything, they will not judge, or give advice, or tell you what you should do.  They know that just the outpouring is enough, and maybe a quick cyber hug.  And it drives home that it doesn't matter where in the world you live, we are more similar than different.  And we are not alone.

My favorite photo from Mariette's blog:

This is of her daughter Maxine.  I love it because she looks so taken with what she is doing.  You can see her mind going a million miles a minute, and the light in her eyes.  This picture tells a story, it is worth a thousand words and leaves you asking a hundred questions.  Maxine is so lovely.

My favorite photo of Claire's blog:

It was a tough choice between this and the tea cup photo, but in the end, this one won.  I can feel how still the early morning is in that moment just before the sun comes up, the earth goes quiet, like all living things are holding their breath waiting for the golden orb to make her entrance.  And then, the big weightless balloon, silently floating until the pilot opens the burner and the flame roars.  I can feel the chill of the early winter morning, I can see my breath in the air and feel frost biting my fingers.  But best of all is the anticipation, the excitement for that moment when the ropes are untied and the balloon lifts into the sky and you are airborne.  And it is quiet.  And it is magic.  And then there is a roar and you are up, up and away . . .

Linda's photo:

I love this because it is so . . . Linda.  Romantic, sweet, lovely, gentle, unassuming.  Yet strong.  Have you hung these yet my dear????

I found it so hard to pick a favorite post.  I think it is because I took a sabbatical and then I felt like I couldn't choose one from a post I didn't participate in, and some of the ones I love are not TUM posts, but Blog Your Heart posts.  So I am just going to say instead that I don't love one particular post, I love instead all posts.  I love reading about your lives and sharing your journey.  I love the connection that we have through this blog, I treasure it.  

I knew a woman once whose mom had to run for a boat that was to be the last ship out of the port towards the end of WW2, she was a nurse, her children (my friend and her big brother) were already on-board but they wouldn't let her leave with them because she was a nurse, they had already lost their dad.  At the very last second they told her to just go, and she dashed home to grab a few things and she was the last one to board before the ship set sail.  Time is so precious, life is so precious, I find myself looking at something and asking if I had to run like mad for the boat, would I take this with me?  

I think this blog is worth keeping, I think it encourages us to share our worlds in a way that we wouldn't normally.  And I think it encourages us to look at our world too and not just run blindly through it like its a race to the finish.  We don't have to run.  What are we rushing for?  We shouldn't be in such a hurry.  This blog makes me slow down, it forces me to make time and all at once, we are connected through it - and actually, we are keeping pretty good company.

TUM - Feet

How much potential does this theme have?  Everything has feet, from desks, chairs and bath tubs to bugs, birds and people.  The inspiration is endless, the amount of time I have to give the project?  Not so much!  Looking back on my blogs I find there is a common thread running through so many of my posts.  I speak about how crazy life is, how busy I am, how tired I am, how little time I have.  This week was no exception, it feels as though as you move through the year the pace doesn't change, only the theme - either it is back to school, or it is crazy harvest week or it is sick employee week, all the cars break down week, Thanksgiving week and now, Christmas is looming.

I feel like we have lost the plot when it comes to this holiday.  We are supposed to be slowing things down, sipping cocoa with loved ones while throwing a log on the fire and reading a book or admiring the twinkling Christmas tree.  We are supposed to be prioritizing things of importance like family, generosity and spirituality, it should be a humble, peaceful, low key holiday don't you think?  In reality what it is, is frenzied and harried and the spirit of giving and generosity is catapulted into 'OMG!  I still have to buy presents for the bus driver, teachers, postman, trash collectors . . . . ' all the while retail stores eke every cent out of your wallet with Christmas songs, tinsel and clever product placement.

I think it also has something to do with the nearing of the end of the year.  All of a sudden in between trips to crowded malls and colorful wrapping paper and shiny bows, there are the end of year social obligations and everybody seems to try and cram as much as they can into the last few days of this year - not sure why that is.  But it is.

Anyway, speaking of Christmas and back to this week's theme, here we have Mariette's take:

Just lovely isn't it?  I think it is very sweet.  My 'feet' aren't so heavenly, they are more earth bound for sure.  We had a Christmas party at the barn last weekend, April rode a pony called Pixie in a drill team that performed to two carols - it was SO well done, and then the girls all dressed up their ponies in anything Christmas - from reindeer horns and bells to tinsel and bows, we had it all!  Decked with boughs of holly, they did a parade down the street and after THAT, the Clydesdale's came to give us hay rides.  AND then there was a Santa Gift Swap and cup cakes.  The perfect party if you are a little girl who is horse mad!  Anyway, so here is my picture of feet this week, it is of they Clydesdale's ENORMOUS hooves:
 

And just because I can't tell you all about the party and not include some photos, here is April on Pixie for the drill team:

And April in the parade on Mazoe (who has his winter coat now and is fuzzy wuzzy like a bear . . .)

And here are the owners of those very large feet.  They are the youngest team she has and are just learning how to be grownups.  Honestly, I wanted to bring them home with me, I have a soft spot for these  babies!

Did you know that Budweiser beer here in the U.S. uses Clydesdale's in their T.V. adverts?  The have become a brand icon and everybody waits for the Superbowl in the fall to see if they will be releasing a new ad, and they always deliver.  So I am going to sign off with not one, but TWO of their ads - I simply couldn't choose!  Enjoy!

TUM - Flame

This one was way more challenging than I imagined - and again, I have myself to thank.  But I had all these grand ideas about reflections and flames and maybe I will still do that - but with the biggest holiday on the harvest calendar this week I had no chance to even THINK about it, let alone do anything to act on it.  HA!  So here is my pic, taken with my trusty iPhone in the grocery store last night:

It still makes me smile.  Nando's is a South African brand, and you can't usually get South African stuff at local supermarkets.  I am not sure if we have a pushy salesperson to thank, or if the buying manager at Hannafords just brought these in on a whim, but thankful I am!  And it is not because I like Extra HOT Peri-Peri Sauce, but because I stood in the aisle of the supermarket staring into space for ages and ages thinking of Nando's back home, and how my mom would buy a whole lemon herb Nando's chicken for our dinner with some delicious Nando's bread rolls and a home made salad.  Um . . . YUM!  So, this pertains to flame because it is SO frikkin' hot, and because we refer to 'exes' in South Africa as 'old flames' and so, the country herself has become my old flame now that I am married to America.  Sigh.  I do miss her, pity she was such a drama queen!

Claire next:

I was on a hot air ballooning team when I was younger so I would recognize this site anywhere - and this is the crack of dawn no doubt!  This is something I recommend, no, make that HIGHLY recommend every person does at least once in their life.  Claire - did you go up?

Mariette:

A candle through cracked glass.  Isn't it lovely?  

So this week I thought I would play out with a song, since I am officially up to date - a celebration is called for, don't you think?  Here is a song from The Flames, an underground South African group from, I am guessing, the late 70's.  The song is Restless and it is from their Soul Fire album.

TUM - Seasons

Two more and I am up to date - well, for the moment anyway.  Claire's photo first this time:

 Again, poignant, beautiful, sweet.  Nice job Claire!  Next up, Mariette:

My neighbor woke up early one morning and took a bunch of frosty photos too.  Both Mariette's photo and her beautiful takes made me want to get up early the next morning and go play.  However, since I am not a morning person, it didn't last very long ;-)  Here is my take:
 

I love the warm golds and cold blues in this photo - and I did nothing to play with or alter the color, it was just dusk and the sky was a cold blue and as somebody who paints often, it made me think of my art teacher (blues push things away Pam, they are in far off mountains and receding shadows.  Warm colors bring things forward and draw your eye . . .) SO!  Instead of getting up early to take frosty photos, maybe I will stay inside, put some hot cocoa on and paint a picture instead ;-)

TUM - Spooky

YAY!  I am FINALLY posting in the same month I am taking photographs in.  It's pretty cool, I like it, I may even keep it!  First up Mariette:

 I just LOVE this photo.  It rocks.  You did a terrific job Mariette!  Prizewinner for sure.  Next up Claire:

This is what is interesting about Claire - she is so likeable and easy to talk to when you meet her, and she has this energy about her.  If I asked you after spending the first five minutes with Claire to give me three words to describe her, I don't think 'romantic' would be on your list.  But her photos are all so beautiful, poignant and sweet.  She is most definitely a romantic (although not a hopeless one).  There are layers to Claire, and I love seeing the world through her eyes.  Me next:

Trick or treat, give me something good to eat, if you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear . . .

This was taken just before Halloween, we took all the kids to a spooky corn maze at midnight!  One of my farmers plants this massive corn maze each year - you can't see over the tall stalks, he uses obstacles like bridges and you get a treasure map and need to find things - it is wicked cool.  This year he opened it at night time, and by torch light it is a whole other experience!  The kids LOVED it!  I think Halloween has to be one of our favorite holidays' - it is up there with Christmas!

TUM - Touch

This theme, chosen by Claire had to lead to some very human moments for sure.  Mariette is first with a photo of her husband:

Interesting how much we as woman love our husbands hands, the hands that hold ours, and make us feel safe and cared for.  Claire's photo:

Little Mia had a 'trash the cake' photo shoot - touch is everything to babies, they are so tactile and learn so much about their unexplored worlds.  I always wonder what they are thinking, and what smooshy cake must feel like for the first time.  Mine:

I often wish I spent more time taking beautiful photos with my beautiful camera instead of just iPhone snaps on the fly.  Oh well.  Hopefully I add value to the TUM team in other ways (although I am never on time with my photos, my posts are always late, I never 'blog my heart' . . . I guess I am just lucky they love me anyway).

TUM - Repitition

This, I have to say, was not one of my favorite themes.  And I chose it.  Usually, I would have so much fun with it, because I am constantly marveling at how many circles are within a circle - a second within a minute within an hour within a day . . . life is full of cycles, and repetition.  Nothing stands on its own in this world of ours.  Fingerprints may be unique, but they are made up of lines repeating a pattern.  However, this notion was far, far from being captured by me, and I think it is just because I was so busy, still, here is my photo:

 It is of a blind in our house.  Rows and rows of grass and stitching.  I checked, and it was made in China, and I had to wonder if there was a machine that stitched it or if it was done by hand, and if it was done by hand, how many hours did it take?  There are some anomalies in the pattern which makes me think it was done by hand, but then I didn't pay nearly enough for them, certainly no where near what should have translated into a living wage which makes me feel so guilty I want to take them down.  But I do love them, and then all that hard work would have been for nothing, so I have consoled myself with the fact that I should just appreciate them and admire them very often - which I do.  And be more careful next time I buy something!

Mariette's photo:

This is beautiful, and instantly made me think of home, even though it wasn't taken anywhere near South Africa.  What a lovely and out of the box take Mariette - well done!

And Claire (who is finally back - YAY!!!):

Claire has promised to explain the link of this chair to repetition, I am guessing that it has to do with the number of frames she took - Claire?