Musings of a Whimsical Realist

A Rose entices simple interest -  Piqued by the blood red Silkiness and scented air - Mother Nature disturbs not But man lives for such loveliness - To beautify false structures Of stark barrenness It often dies a slow - slow - Death of cut torture. Yet to those who yearn to capture Its graces - A careless stroke Leads to pain - Behind beauty Lies piercing defenses - All splendor has its costs - Sharpness among magnificence. Oh sweet guarded Siren,  Rustle with the air the wind blows - Bend but do not break - For the Creator of Resplendence Gave you charm and danger - To Him, rise up and sing His glory through your presence.   [Project 24 is a Creative Photography Challenge that I am applying to my own art form -- writing -- and pursuing with several photographer friends via Facebook.]

I was not excited about this topic when I first read over the list.  I am most certainly NOT a girly-girl.  My least favorite color is “pink.”  Ruffles and hearts on clothing make me squirm.  I wear make-up and style my hair on special occasions only. And yet, not wanting to delve too deeply into the feminist aspects of such a question, I realized that I don’t have to look any further than my two girls to see the wonderful diversity of what is feminine. Firstborn is my “tomboy.”  She runs and plays and climbs and bikes like a maniac.  She dances ballet grudgingly, eagerly awaiting the day when she is old enough for the hip-hop class.  She has taken to crying whenever I force her to wear a dress, wanting to be “cool” instead of “pretty” (I wonder at times if she is 6 or 16).  Yet she also “mothers” her siblings on a daily basis.  She loves her long hair and is again growing it out from mid-back to low-back.  Her favorite color is yello...

Almost caught up with the Project 24 fun for April!  The "end" of cold and flu season certainly wasn't March for us!  But Hubby and I managed to sneak in our Christmas present of a weekend without kids.  We enjoyed 3 days around our home while our 3 kids enjoyed grandparents, an aunt, and 3 of the cousins.  Great things come in 3's! "With a Prop" isn't exactly a topic that needs explaining.  It was, however, a fun topic to pursue with my camera phone and Hubby during our weekend of freedom.  He takes the best picture when he has something to pose with . . . and we found a lot of great props in Old Sacramento and the Lassen Volcanic National Park area. At Ikea.  We started without a cart, and I just kept adding and adding and adding.  We also eventually left with two HUGE boxes containing Firstborn's new loft bed. The hat!  Oh, the hat!  I could go on and on and on about Indiana Jones' hat . . . perhaps it deserves its o...

Well, I've gotten VERY behind on the Project 24 entries.  We've had a rough month for illness (colds and flus making the rounds between 3 kids and 2 worn-out parents).  I didn't think of anything particularly brilliant to say about "Depth of Field."  But I did take a picture (Yes, I took it!  Amazing, no?) with my camera phone while in the mountains with my hubby that I thought captured the essence of the topic.  And the best part was, it was right next to a field!  Depth of Field Explained [Project 24 is a Creative Photography Challenge that I am applying to my own art form -- writing -- and pursuing with several photographer friends via Facebook.]

It is often said, “Live every day like it is your last.”  To this, I respond, “Yeah, right!” It is a ridiculous statement.  Or, at the very least, wholly impractical.  The main impetus is to motivate me to do all those things that I’ve been putting off.  To stop procrastinating.  To not waste time.  At the same time, there are a multitude of things that I don’t get to spend every day ignoring because (assuming that I will actually survive past today) they are necessary for continued functioning. Nevertheless, it brings up an intriguing line of thought for me.  If I knew that it were my last day on earth, here is the list of things that I WOULDN’T do! 1. Set my alarm clock .  Hey, it’s my last chance to sleep in (something that I’ve pretty much given up since becoming a parent!). 2. Eat a healthy breakfast .  Bring on the homemade waffles, covered in real butter and warm syrup.  Don’t forget the side of bacon! 3. Wash the dishes ....

I’ll admit, this subject had me stumped for a while!  Perhaps it’s the sheer scope of the topic.  Happiness or joy.  I could instantly think of 1,000 spins on this, and at the same time, nothing inspired me . . . until today.  I went outside, breathing deeply of one of my favorite scents – rain – and felt a deep upwelling of joy!  The joy of smelling something and having a million memories run through your head at once, the happy and the sad, intertwined and a part of what makes you who you are. The olfactory sense (the sense of smell) is the sense with one of the strongest and most intense links to memory.  There have been many studies on this phenomenon, especially as regards childhood memories linked to scent.  One interesting fact is that the sense of smell is processed in a different part of the brain than the rest of the senses, one very closely situated to the center for emotion in the brain.  Olfaction and Memory Smell and Memory ...

Just remember: I warned you!  Disneyland is my favorite place, and when I read topic #3, “Street Scene,” I tried and tried to think of something different.  But all I could picture is Main Street, USA, the lane that conducts you from the entrance gates into new worlds.  So after several days of trying to find other inspiration, I gave in. “The idea of Main Street was inspired by Walt’s childhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri" (Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Places: Disneyland).  It is said that Main Street, USA, is meant to feel like everyone’s hometown.  It is beautiful and comfortable all at the same time, and I start every trip to Disneyland skipping down it like a 10-year-old.  If I could ever choose one place to spend the night, I think that it would have to be the 600-square-foot apartment over the Main Street Fire Station.  Walt would actually stay there on occasion when he was visiting the park.  What a thrill to be in the spo...