I took my granddaughter to her first ice-skating lesson on Saturday. Before her lesson, she watched the older girls spinning and jumping and said that she wants to do that. After the lesson, she quietly commented, “This is hard.”
Watching the skaters
I haven’t posted shots of my favorite model recently; now her little sister joins her and I have two favorites.
For the first two, I was practicing off-camera flash.
Halloween Candy Overload
The leather couch reflected the light horribly, so I added a sheet as backdrop.
Day after Halloween…see the chocolate face?
Granddaughter #2
She’s starting to flirt with the camera.
Just for fun, the night-before-full-moon. Did you know it’s known as the Beaver Moon?
It will be a full moon tomorrow night.
When you’re little and find yourself amidst a loud, alluring, and sometimes frightening world, it’s nice to have daddy’s hand to hold onto.
My son and granddaughter at the state fair
Many bloggers focus their blogs, concentrating on photography, for example, or poetry, political commentary, educational issues, or dietary advice.
My blog is entitled Ramblings: Exploring the Ordinary. It is just that: a rambling assortment of photography, writing, explorations, musings. It is an eclectic mix of this and that, and it focuses on the ordinary aspects of life with an extraordinary event thrown in for spice.
What could be more ordinary, and EXTRAORDINARY, than children?
If you’ve followed this blog for even a few months, you know that I treasure my granddaughters, who are now 3 years old and 6 months old. One of the best things about retirement is that I have the wonderful opportunity to spend time with these two delightful little human beings.
Of course, I have been convinced that they are brilliant, precocious, and advanced far beyond other children (not to mention just flat out cute). It’s been 31 years since my sons were this age, and I haven’t hung around many children in the interim, so I really do not know what is typical for a 3 year old or a 6 month old.
Can you imagine my surprise (and a little dismay) when I read a handout from the pediatrician today about the normal development of a 6 month old baby?
According to the doctor’s literature, she’s right on track! She’s not leaping tall buildings or soaring above her fellow babies. But, you know what? That’s wonderful. She’s healthy, she’s happy, and she is developing just fine.
Today was the first day I caught her sweet little smile on camera. Previously, she’d laugh and giggle, and just when I’d put the camera to my face, she’d stop and so seriously study the absurd box I’d put between us.
Her older sister has always been my favorite model, but I believe that I now have two favorites.
Look at life through the eyes of a child, who is amazed and awed by the wonders of the world.
My favorite model, my granddaughter, who is almost 3.
Can you imagine approaching your day as if you did not dread it, anticipating it to be boring, routine, possibly stressful or dreadful? Can you find something in your life today to look at closely, to appreciate, to find interesting, delightful, or wonderful?
St. Paul writes, “When I was child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man [woman], I put childish ways behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)
I think that life might be better if we did not put away all of our childish ways. I think that we would enjoy life more if we approached it with the wonderment and delight of a child. Perhaps our enjoyment of life might spill over to those around us and they just might just have a good day.
Ducks on a pond
In the past, I posted nearly every day. Like a child showing every drawing and scribbled attempt at poetry, I snapped away, made a few edits, posted, and said to the world hey look at me look at what I did! I did it!
I’m still taking pictures; having the camera in my hand is like holding the hand of a trusted dear friend. However, there have been a few changes in my life. First, I’ve promised myself better health, which means getting more sleep. Second, I’m more focused on work, prepping for classes and preparing reports. Finally, I moved into a small place, by myself. (Someday, when I find a way to write about this without hurting others, and in a way that it will help others, I will….maybe.) The move has almost doubled my drive time to work and to my son’s house.
Consequently, I have less time to edit pictures, write, post, and read other blogs. And I miss it so.
Most important, for some reason, I’m rarely happy with my pictures. Is my eye becoming more discriminating? Or am I in an artistic slump? The truth is probably a combination of the two.
Last week, between appointments, I stopped at a city park and worked on getting a sharp focus. The above shot of the ducks is the only one out of 83 shots that does not disappoint me.
But I had a treat today as I babysat my best playmate, my granddaughter. She had just gotten out of bed, and because I was focused on work, when she asked, “Grandma Mona, I need your iPad please!” I handed it over and took out my camera, forgetting all about the work.
Ramblings 
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