Looking at the Sky on Friday (afternoon)

I'll call this December afternoon sunset. How's that for original? I just snapped this through the window a short while ago so as not to miss out on this week's Looking at the Sky.

Thanks go to Tisha, that CrAzY Working Mom, for hosting. Happy Friday!

From the e-mail bag: gotta love Photoshop

This gives new meaning to the word "Roadie." And to the saying "One for the Road."

Sepia Scenes

This is another view of the lovely Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby, Ct. I thought the window featuring natural decorations would work well in sepia. This year's theme for the house was "Wonders of Nature." I posted several photos from the home last week, here and here.

The historic house was the lifelong home of Frances Osborne Kellogg, a businesswoman and philanthropist, who died in 1956 at the age of 80.

Below I sepia-fied a photo of our backyard that I posted earlier today. I wanted to give it a snow globe effect. Let it snow, let it snow...

Visit Mary T at Sepia Scenes to see many more sepia tone photos.

Happy holidays to all!

Introducing Quincy

A friend sent me this photo of her German shepherd enjoying the winter weather we "welcomed" to our area this morning. He's a good boy! I remember when he was just a pup.

Let it snow, let it snow ...

On Sunday we woke up to a dusting...this morning we woke up to this: more than a dusting.

Since I took this photo three hours ago it has turned into a wintry mix, and it is supposed to go to all rain soon. A slushy mess!

The snow is wet and heavy. Not the pretty fluffy kind.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful..."

At least my Christmas cactus is blooming!

Ho Ho Ho

Pearl Harbor remembered

The horrific events of 68 years ago yesterday, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, will forever be singed into the memories of today's senior citizens who were living then. I've heard many recollections over the years, from people who remember exactly where they were that Sunday when they heard the news.

The Dec. 7, 1941 attack took the lives of 2,402 American military personnel stationed at Pearl Harbor.

I attended an annual remembrance ceremony Monday at Veterans Park in our city, one of the few held in Connecticut, organizers say. You can read the story here.

One Korean War-era veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps told me that Dec. 7, 1941 was to his generation (although he was just a child then) what Sept. 11, 2001 was to today's generation. He said that's because both were sneak attacks and both plunged our country into war.

Whatever your feelings about war, or the military, it's important for those of us who weren't alive in 1941 to help keep alive the memory of that fateful day and the subsequent sacrifices made by so many.

Ruby Tuesday

"Hurry up in there!"

Our little great-nephew Adam, who is actually not so little for someone who was born three months early, appears to be waiting in line for the bathroom on Thanksgiving. He got his cool "gold" necklace when he was visiting another relative earlier in the day.

You can see our Kid Two, Cameron, in the background. Maybe he was going to get in line, too.

I hope this photo works for Ruby Tuesday. There is some red in Adam's shirt, and he has a red B (for Boston Red Sox) on his shoes. ;-)

It's a stretch, I know.

Check out many more photos with a little or a lot of red over at Work of the Poet. Thanks as always to our meme hostess, Mary T.

It's beginning to look a lot like...winter

I opened the front door this morning and stuck my hand out to take photos. I didn't want to actually go outside in my robe; it's cold out there today.

Just a dusting...

Today we have a potluck lunch at church. We're bringing Ralph's famous chili. Everyone always devours it, and it's so easy to make.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Shadow Shot Sunday

I posted this photo last December, but that was long before I knew about Shadow Shot Sunday.

It's Dec. 5, and the holiday season is upon us. Our cats, Ralph, and I are getting ready for another festive Yuletide!

Our goal is to have everything ready before our children come home from college.

To see more shadowy pix, visit our hostess, Tracy, at Hey Harriet.

The Brothers Furr

Like all cats, our Rigby and Linus know how to relax. This photo is from last year. I'm posting it for no other reason than I think they are kinda cute.

Have a great weekend! Ralph and I are planning to do just that. ;-)

Looking at the Sky on Friday

These photos are straight out of the camera. I took this November sunset from the parking lot of the nearby high school in our neighborhood. We live in the hilltop section of town, and as you can see we get some great sunset views from here.

I was going to crop out the light pole in the second photo, but kept it in to provide contrast - artificial light versus the beautiful natural light in the background.

To see many more sky shots visit Tisha at CrAzY Working Mom, our hostess. I personally don't think she is crazy at all, but I guess she feels her hectic schedule is "crazy."

Am I right, Tisha?

* More on the historic Osborne homestead

I love to visit the beautiful Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby, Ct. I used two photos featuring holiday decorations in a dining room of the Colonial Revival home for Ruby Tuesday and thought I'd share a few more today.

This year's decorating theme was "Wonders of Nature." This fireplace is in the library. The Derby Garden Society's task was to adorn the room with decorations created out of pine cones.

This snow globe display is in the "milk room." The homestead was once part of a dairy farm, and the room was used as an office, if I recall correctly. The group that decorated this room had to follow a "Snow and Ice" theme.

And some more *snow and ice* decor.

Does this look like a house that would make you forget about any winter weather howling outside?

I know it would make me forget...

~

This last photo features a ring-necked pheasant as part of a natural centerpiece of greens sitting on deer antlers on a second dining table, this one found in a dark-paneled room known as the studio.

I have more photos of this lovely home. Stay tuned...

Ruby Tuesday ~ holiday time is here

Here are Kid Two (left) and Kid One posing for their Aunt Brenda on Thanksgiving Day.

We give thanks every day that we have such great kids.

And below are two views of the formal dining room at the Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby, Ct., which is decked out for the Christmas season. I did a story about the beautiful home, which is decorated every year by local garden clubs. You can read it here.

To see many photos featuring the color red, visit Mary T at Work of the Poet.

Who's the turkey here?

I usually don't have any issues with turkey storage, but Saturday night after we had our belated Thanksgiving dinner I seem to have had problems. I couldn't fit the giant ceramic turkey platter in the refrigerator, so I found this mixing bowl.

And to think this bird weighed less than 11 pounds. I can't imagine dealing with one twice that size! How do people do it?

(Ralph didn't marry me for my domestic skills, as you can plainly see.)

Leftovers

We just returned from taking our kids back to the University of Hartford. They have a busy three weeks of school work ahead with the end of the semester fast approaching.

Here we are in a rare family portrait. This was taken on Thanksgiving at Ralph's sister Michele's house, and I thought I would use it as a "weekend wrap up" photo. Haha

Thanks go to sister-in-law Brenda for making us sit for a photo!

I hope your weekend was as nice as ours was.

Shadow Shot Sunday

It's that winsome Rigby again! I took this last year, but it still works for a Shadow Shot Sunday post, I'd say.

= ^.^ =

To see many shadowy pix, visit Tracy at Hey Harriet.

Looking at the Sky on Friday

I like the wide-open space feeling I get with this photo. It's like we were driving down the highway in Kansas or Nebraska last week, instead of in little ol' Connecticut.

To see many sky photos, visit our hostess, Tisha, at CrAzY Working Mom.

Gobble, gobble

We missed out on the tantalizing smells of turkey roasting in the oven yesterday. Our blog friend, Empress Bee, wrote about those cooking smells here. I agree with her that they're awesome.

We spent Thanksgiving at Ralph's sister Michele's house and had a wonderful time. Lots of family stopped in and everyone seemed happy and healthy.

She gave us the decimated turkey frame, which I am boiling right now for future soup-making.

Yay!

Tomorrow a good friend will bring over a complete turkey dinner and the six of us will enjoy another Thanksgiving at home. Double yay! Good thing we all like turkey. The cats may even get a few shards of it tomorrow. If' they're good.

I am going to work today; no Black Friday running around for me. Unless it's on the Internet.

Happy day after Turkey Day!

A day to count our blessings ...

Tuesday night I attended an interfaith Thanksgiving service at a Roman Catholic Church in our town to support our pastor, who was one of the clergy participating in it.

It was a wonderful service and I decided to write a story about it, since clergy members hope to make it a Thanksgiving tradition. I hadn't planned to do so, but it worked out.

This is my story published in today's New Haven Register:

"ANSONIA — Tuesday was a time for Valley residents to celebrate their blessings as local clergy took part in an Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving. Nearly 200 people attended the event at Church of the Assumption.

The participating clergy hailed from several faith traditions: Roman Catholic; Congregational; Episcopal; Jewish; and Buddhist.

The Rev. Robert F. Condron, pastor, Church of the Assumption, welcomed worshippers to the evening service. The Rev. Ed Stueckle, pastor, Second Congregational Church, Derby, read aloud President Obama’s Thanksgiving proclamation.

One of the participants, the Rev. Donna G. Ives, pastor, First Congregational Church in Derby, said a colleague commented before the service that “this is history in the making.” Ives said clergy members “were all amazed with the turnout.”

The Rev. Marcia Eveland, pastor of First Congregational Church in Ansonia, said clergy members plan to make the service an annual Thanksgiving tradition.

She credited the Rev. Amy Welin, pastor of Christ Episcopal Church in Ansonia, with much of the planning. “It all got going after she (Welin) spoke with Father George (Burnett from Church of the Assumption) this past Good Friday. Father George committed to hosting the Thanksgiving service at that time,” she said.

Eveland employed her puppet ministry as she called the children in the congregation down to the front of the sanctuary. She and “Booregard,” her longtime puppet “friend,” entertained them as she talked about religious pilgrims.

People brought offerings of non-perishable food donations for the Valley Food Bank.

Worshippers sang “We Gather Together,” “Come Ye Thankful People,” “God Bless America” and “Now Thank We All Our God.” Cantor Joshua Konigsberg of Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge sang several prayers in Hebrew.

In addition to Condron, Stueckle, Ives, Eveland, Welin, and Konigsberg, participants included Maj. Theresa Burkholder from The Salvation Army in Ansonia; the Venerable Thick Minh Duc from the Phuoc Long Buddhist Temple, Ansonia, and Jack Brady, deacon, Church of the Assumption.

Sponsors of the service were: Christ Episcopal Church, Ansonia; Church of the Assumption, Ansonia; Congregation B’nai Jacob, Woodbridge; First

Congregational Church, Ansonia; First Congregational Church, Derby; First United Methodist Church, Ansonia; Holy Rosary Church, Ansonia; Phuoc Long Buddhist Temple, Ansonia; St. Joseph Church, Ansonia; St. Mary’s Church, Derby; The Salvation Army, Ansonia; Second Congregational Church, Derby; Three Saints Russian Orthodox Church, Ansonia."

* * *

Need is greater than ever this year

I've written several stories recently about non-profit organizations working to make a difference in the lives of many less fortunate families for Thanksgiving.

Organizers of food drives and distributions all say the same thing: the need is greater than ever this year.

It may be too late to brighten a family's Thanksgiving, but I suggest that you consider giving a bit more than you normally would give to a local food pantry or toy drive this Christmas.

It will help those who have fallen on hard times, and it will make you feel good in the process.

(Getting down off my soap box now.)

Ruby Tuesday

I wasn't looking for Ruby Tuesday last Friday but "Ruby" found me, as you can see above.

We pulled into the parking lot at Advanced Wheels where our future min-van will be modified for Ralph. I was surprised this tree had so many red leaves left on it on Nov. 20. And the breeze was just enough to unfurl Old Glory.

Ruby found me again today when I was stopped at a light, as you can see below.

It took me a minute to figure out what this sign meant.

I was on assignment and luckily had the camera on the seat next to me. The red Staples store sign is in the background. And there is that red pickup parked there.

To see many more Ruby posts, visit Mary T, our hostess, at Work of the Poet.

Our birthday boy

... almost.

Ralph and I both had a day off Friday so we visited our children at the University of Hartford.

It was a brief visit because they both were in the middle of doing stuff. They have busy schedules, that's for sure.

We sat in the van and they stood outside the passenger window to chat.

On Monday Cameron turns 19, but we won't get to see him until late Tuesday.

The next big decision is what kind of cake to have for him on Wednesday. :-D

That's Allegra in the background; she didn't want her picture taken, and I tried to comply. I hope she doesn't mind that she is partly in the photo.

And that's yours truly in the side-view mirror, capturing Cam.

After we saw thems we went to Advanced Wheels of Technology in East Granby, Ct. to put a deposit on a mini-van that will be modified with a ramp, etc. for Ralph. Yippee!!

It will be so nice to have a smaller vehicle. His full-size Ford Club Wagon has more than 150,000 miles on it. It's big, and the lift is so, what's the word? cumbersome, I suppose you could call it. having a fold-down ramp is so much more convenient.

And did someone say cup holders? The mini-van has too many of them to count! haha

On the way home we stopped for an early dinner. All in all, it was a perfect date day for us.

Shadow Shot Sunday - Rigbert of the Opera

I originally posted this photo in October 2008, long before I knew about Shadow Shot Sunday. I think it qualifies, don't you?

This is what I wrote at the time:

Rigby was looking out the front door at me ("Are you coming back in the house, Mommy?") when I took this picture. To me he looks like he is wearing a 'Phantom of the Opera' mask. Maybe that's just me.


To see many more photos with shadows, visit Tracy at Hey Harriet.

Happy Saturday/Sunday to all!

I wish I could say I painted this

This cheery watercolor depicts a sun-dappled scene along the beach at Bradley Point in West Haven, Ct. on Long Island Sound.

My talented friend Cindy Gilbane painted this picture.

Please visit her at Art by Gilbane to check out her artwork. She is into painting nature, from detailed close-ups of flowers and insects to beach scenes and landscapes. Her work is lovely!

Sepia scenes ~ which way ?

When I got finished experimenting with sepia and antique and color fade editing applications I ended up with this. I had to stop, I was driving myself cuckoo.

This is the original:

It's fun to experiment! I find myself leaning so far into the screen that I get a crick in my neck. Does that happen to you?

To see more sepia-fied photos, visit Mary T at Sepia Scenes.

Ruby Tuesday~ through the passenger window

Why, it's Bowl-a-Rama!

Ralph and I love the retro look of this place along the Berlin Turnpike in Connecticut. Reminds us of our childhoods, I suppose.

See many more photos featuring red by visiting Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet.

Shadow Shot Sunday

This is Konover Center on the campus of the University of Hartford.

I thought I'd try black and white, since shadows are black, aren't they?

Below is the original:

To see many more shadowy photos, visit our hostess, Tracy, at Hey Harriet.