Happy New Year!

Remember Y2K?

Can you believe it has been almost a decade since we welcomed the year 2000? And with it, all the fears of Y2K. As I look back now, I think of it more as "Why You Fool!" How many of us filled our bathtubs with water and stocked up on bottled water in case our water systems failed? How many of us withdrew wads of cash in case the banking system and ATMs failed to dispense money? How many of us filled up our gas tanks in case gasoline ceased to flow? Then, midnight struck and we waited, waited, and then....nothing.

Just a few years ago we were thrown into another panic with all the talk of the "Bird Flu". They made it sound like it was on the next flight over from Asia or something and we were to get ready. Not that I'm an alarmist or anything, however as a former girl scout, I do like to be prepared. Yes, per the experts' suggestions, I created my "bird flu pantry." I stocked up on some staples, water, basic and medical necessities. I mean for goodness sake, it was all over the news, talk shows, and they even made a cheesy movie of the week about it! Then we waited, waited, and then....more nothing. My bird flu pantry is now a photo album closet.

At least I didn't run out to the nearest army supply store and buy a gas mask and oodles of duct tape after 9/11. I do have some common sense.

The Perfect Season

The Detroit Lions just finished their season with 16 losses and zero wins. This photo from three years ago pretty much sums it up. Whether it was today, three years ago, 13 years ago or even 30 years ago, the expressions on their faces still apply.

Grow Old With Me

This picture of a Black-Eyed Susan was taken in October, well past its prime. Even though it was on its way to becoming compost, I found something beautiful about it as the early morning sun hit it.

It's funny how we tend to look past things if they are not colorful, beautiful or new. I saw the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night and although it seemed to ramble along, I found it to have a good message. Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin and he is born with the physical traits of an old man. As the years progress and people around him grow older, he looks and gets younger. Obviously, it's a fantasy. But the movie made me think about how things in life happen for a reason and why they progress the way they do. For me, I found the movie to have a "be careful what you wish for" message.

As you age, you develop character. I love to look at photographs that contain older people or objects. If it's a person, I think about how much they have lived through and how many lives they have touched along the way. Character lines, wrinkles, eyes, and hands all tell a story. If it's an old object, I think about how many years it has been used or how many seasons it has survived. The way the paint is worn or damage was incurred all tells a story.

Many of us are obsessed with trying to look younger and stop the hands of time. I think many people would jump at the chance to age backwards or not age at all if given the opportunity. The reality of it is, however, growing older with the ones you love is what makes life special.

Mending Fences

I don't know why, but I find myself so attracted to picket fences. Sometimes I think this is because the house I grew up in had a backyard surrounded by a white picket fence. My parents received many compliments on how neat our yard always looked. Each week the grass was cut with our manual push lawn mower that had the rotating blades and the little aluminum-bottom grass catcher. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the whirring, clickety-clackety sound it made.

The grass along the sidewalk was alway trimmed with the edger. Again, this was done with a manual tool that consisted of a stick with a rotating blade on it. You know, the one that jabs you in the stomach every time it gets jammed up on a crack in the sidewalk.

Each week grass along the sidewalk, driveway and street curb was not only edged, but swept out of the groove and picked up with the dust pan. I can remember my dad washing down the driveway and the street curb afterwards to make sure nothing was left behind.

My mom meticuluously maintained our lilac bushes, climbing roses, lily of the valley, irises, coral bell flowers and honey suckle. Weeds were not allowed. I distinctly remember cutting lilac branches and wrapping them in wet paper towels and tin foil to take into my teachers. The smell of lilacs to this day sends me right back to fourth grade.

Every few years they would scrape down the picket fence and repaint it so it always looked fresh and white. I remember thinking "you're crazy!"

Today I realize how much I loved that house and how secure it made me feel and how secure they made me feel. As an adult I realize how grateful I am for all the values my parents instilled upon me.

As the year draws to a close, I will be spending these last few days tending to my "gardens" and smelling the flowers along the way. I will also be working to mend and repaint any of my fences that have fallen into disrepair over the year. Thanks mom and dad for everything you have bestowed upon me. I am truly blessed.

Joy to Your World

Merry Christmas! My wish for you all is that you experience as much joy in your heart as this little boy has on his face. Click on the link below if you want a good laugh for the day. Thank goodness for singing cats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6yzjDXp_og&feature=related

G'Day and G'Night!

This picture was taken on our trip to Australia in 2003. As you can see, Cameron was feeling a little tired from our day of walking and touring. He tends to have a flare for drama, in case you hadn't noticed. I'm pretty sure he wanted to go back to the hotel at this point. I, however, was going to make sure we made the most of every moment, especially since it took us 21 hours on an airplane to get there!

What I love about this picture is the total difference in body language between the two boys. It seems to reflect their personalities. Ed and I have always marveled at how two children who are raised by the same parents, in the same house, with the same rules, values, and expectations can be sooooo different. One is organized, the other is not. One can be a morning person (when necessary), the other can not (no matter what). One is meticulous, the other is not. One likes to try new food, the other doesn't like his food messed with.

Fortunately, both have a great sense of humor, which is a must in our household. Learning to laugh at yourself makes life so much easier and more fun.

Happy Hummer

This picture of a hummingbird was taken in my yard this summer. Prior to moving west of Beck Road, I really hadn't seen that many hummingbirds in my life. When I first saw them in our old neighborhood, it was only for a fleeting moment. They seemed to come to our yard only at the end of the summer. The first time I saw one I likened it to seeing an apparition. They are sooooo fast! By the time you realize you've seen one, they are gone. Now I'm fortunate to attract them all summer long beginning in early May. I was lucky enough to catch this one doing something (I'm not quite sure what--probably catching his breath!).

As an addendum to my posting from last week "The Power of One" I wanted to share with you a story I heard on ABC World News on Friday night. One of their persons of the year was a man named Major Dan Rooney. He is an F-16 pilot with the Oklahoma Air National Guard. He founded a scholarship fund for the kids and spouses of soldiers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. In addition to being an F-16 pilot, Dan Rooney is also a golf pro. On Labor Day last year, he launched Patriot Golf Day and asked golfers at 3,400 golf courses across the country to donate one extra dollar in green fees, which would go toward his foundation. The $1 donations added up to $1.1 million over the three-day weekend. This year Patriot Golf Day raised more than $1.6 million! That is the incredible power of one!

You can find more info on Dan Rooney and his story and foundation at the links listed below.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=5687342&page=1

http://www.patriotgolfday.com/

Life's Lessons

There was a time when I thought this picture of Alex was very funny. Now that it's a reality, however, I find it a little bittersweet. Not only is Alex actually shaving, but he's driving, working, graduating, and heading off to college in the fall!

This picture still makes me laugh, though. He looks so serious. Like he's getting ready for work and is thinking about something important. The look on his face says "mom, could you please stop taking pictures of me while I'm in the bathroom, I've got a big day ahead of me."

When I look at this photo, the first thing I think of is "thank God Ed is an excellent and diligent keeper of the bathroom!" I mean, look at that white tile and grout! It's beautiful, honey, thank you so much for all that you do.

Alex is our oldest son. He was, and is, responsible, organized, and good-hearted. As a little boy, Alex wanted to adopt every little critter that came our way. Like the mouse that made its way into our house with our freshly cut Christmas tree. Unfortunately, we killed the poor thing after luring it out with cheese and putting it in a bucket in the garage. We were going to let it go the next morning, but he froze to death. Needless to say, tears were shed that day.

Then there was the time in Florida that a very young Alex and Cameron, while on a walk with Ed, came upon a baby lizard on the sidewalk. In the midst of Alex's plans of naming it and oohing and aahing over how cute it was, Cameron squashed it like a bug. Once again, more tears (along with a few cross words).

And let's not even get into when we rat-sat for his friend Connor's guinea pig while he went on vacation and then the rodent died on our watch. Ed and I wrapped it up like a burrito and stuck it in the freezer for the night so Alex and Cameron wouldn't see it laying dead in it's cage when they woke up in the morning. After checking with Connor's parents, we went ahead and held a little wake and buried it in the rose garden. That was traumatic enough. But when Connor returned home, he changed his mind and wanted his little buddy back so he could hold his own funeral service. Needless to say, a body in a Kroger bag had to be exhumed and more tears were shed that day.

My wish for you, Alex, is to never stop caring or giving, even though sometimes it hurts. I hope that dad and I have done a good job of stressing the importance of giving back. We look forward to all the amazing things you will accomplish as you move forward.

Singin' in the Sprinklers....

This is Cameron--my free spirit. I love this picture because it shows one of Cameron's qualities that I love so much about him. His excitement for life, his thirst for adventure, and his ability to just have fun! For the record however, there have also been many times where I did NOT find this quality endearing. Sometimes these "qualities" can be a little stressful and exhausting on a mother.

Anyone who knows Cameron has probably seen that "twinkle" in his eye. I believe that behind the twinkle there are little gears turning, clicking, wondering....hmmmm, what can I get into now? This picture was taken on Memorial Day weekend a couple of years ago. It was the first hot and sunny weekend to kick off the summer and Cameron seized the day with dust pans in hand. You can be certain you will see many more photos of Cameron seizing the day.

Life with Cameron has certainly not been boring as he's got a natural curiosity about him. I can't tell you how many times I walk into his room and find things taken apart and put back together with parts from something else. Kinex, Legos, transformers...you name it, he can build it. I truly believe he could be an inventor when he grows up.

As a young child he had many - what we like to call - "Cameronisms." Like the time he was telling people at Thanksgiving he had ancestors that came over on the "cauliflower"; or the time we were watching the Tour de France and he wandered in and wanted to know if "Neil Armstrong was still in the lead." But my favorite has to be the time we were in the car and a young Alex, who was so enthralled with eagles at the time, was waxing on about how his dream was to go out west and see eagles soaring and then Cameron dryly replied; "my dream is for you to stop talking."

My secret wish for you Cameron is that you never lose your zest for life--no matter how much it causes me to worry.

It Pays To Be Persistent

Normally, I wouldn't give a squirrel the time of day, but this guy was pretty cute and persistent. He spent at least a couple of hours burrowing in the snow under my bird feeder looking for something to eat. Diving head first into the snow and then popping up with the occasional sunflower seed.

On any other day, I would find Mr. Squirrel and his friends a pain in the birdfeeder. Sometimes I feel like Bill Murray in Caddyshack. While he's trying to outsmart the gopher, I'm trying to outsmart the squirrel. This includes double-baffling my bird feeder poles and sticking them out in no-man's land. You think your gourmet nut-and-berry bird seed is safe and then you turn around and there's a squirrel sitting in the feeder eating it all! Sometimes I have found myself lying in wait just so I can see how they do it. I have witnessed squirrels hang by their toes from my gutters, scale the brick on my house and leap from scraggly branches in a single bound! All for the love of a nut. What can I say? It pays to be persistent. The early bird may get the worm, but the in-it-for-the-long-haul squirrel gets the gourmet nut and berry bird seed.

The Calm Before the Storm

I'm off to the post office and the mall. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers today. No time to be prophetic or funny.

The Power of One

Ask any roofer or painter and they'll tell you that one of their secrets to success is climbing the ladder "one rung at a time." After all, have you ever tried to climb a ladder more than one rung at a time? It's pretty difficult, if not impossible. Having done my fair share of painting, I've certainly come down the ladder more than one rung at a time, and I do not recommend it. As I recall it hurt a lot.

Today's photo was taken in 1997 and what caught my eye at the time were the colors. Today I look at it in a whole new way. My friend Kathy lost her husband, Jeff, to esophageal cancer in 2006. He was 43. Jeff's outlook regarding his cancer and how he chose to handle it with grace and strength was amazing. He declared that he would face the challenge "one rung at a time." He truly became an inspiration to his caregivers and others that came in contact with him. Although Jeff lost his personal battle with cancer, the war goes on. St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, in Ann Arbor Michigan, is in the process of working with Kathy to form the Jeffrey M. Stemberger Esophageal Cancer Foundation. As more information becomes available, I'll be sure to pass it on.

The power of one. Such a simple concept, and yet so overlooked. Facing challenges one day at a time can affect the future. Donating one dollar to the Salvation Army kettle adds up with others. Giving one can of food to your local food shelter fills an empty spot on the shelf. Giving one toy for one tot could make someone's Christmas. Don't forget--one can do wonders.

Franken-Kitty

What was I thinking? He must have worn this "costume" all of eight seconds. What possesses people (like me) to think it would be cute to dress up their pets? I guess this photo opportunity is what does it. I can see that it's developed into quite the industry. Target has a whole section of pet clothing. I think my friend Chuckles should develop this year's April Fool's joke into a business. He created "Uggs for Pugs" and sent them to his house so his wife would think they were receiving a complimentary pair for their dog. What about "hats for cats?" Please don't let Stanley know I have posted this picture. He would be mortified.

On another note, thanks for all your e-mails of support on launching my blog and photo gallery.

Live Your Life Like a Snowman

Make the most of each day like a snowman because you never know when it could all melt away. I love this picture because to me it looks like the bigger snowman is comforting the smaller one.

You can see more of my photos at http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/RMinch/Artwork. Any of the photos make great note cards and prints. Greeting cards and calendars are also available, however you need to place the order directly with me, rather than Shutterfly.

Here I Am!

Hello world. Here I am! Whooo-hooo, right?

Welcome to my blog! I've decided that after a tumultous 2008, I need to start focusing on the positive and forgetting about the negative--if only for a few minutes a day. Thus, my blog will feature a "picture(s) of the day". These will be photos that I have taken over the years and either bring a smile to my face or touch my heart in some simple way. I thought it would be fun to share them with my family, friends and whoever else might need a light-hearted moment for the day. I hope that you will put me in your "favorites" and check back regularly.

This is such a new forum to me, but I am intrigued how one person can make a difference, via the world wide web. I don't expect to solve world peace, but if anything, I hope this will give me inner peace. So much sadness and anxiety has touched my family this year. I've had some sort of epiphany in the last week or so and that is, I can't control the future, I can't worry about the past, but I can enjoy the moment and try to find something good about each day. I hope that you will be able to do the same.

My children are happy (for the most part, however we still have our crabby moments), healthy, and my husband is still gainfully employed! In this day and age, that's a huge thing! So for my first picture of the day, it is of Alex and Cameron. Albeit, this photo was taken almost 14 years ago, but it seems like the appropriate picture for my world wide web entrance.