Some Fall Photos

Bare November, winter's frost,
Another day is lost.
The trees shed their leaves like skin
and leave behind a ghostly grin.

Anniversary Photo Session

My husband and I celebrated our 26th anniversary back in October. As a photojournalist who takes pictures of people, places and things of interest on a regular basis, you would think I'd take pictures of my own family, wouldn't you? Well, I usually don't.

So, on our special day, I decided to remedy that situation by making sure to capture the two of us in a photograph. The trouble was I couldn't possibly take a picture of my husband and me, and none of our kids was around to snap the photo. So we decided to just pose for it and snap it ourselves.

The result was rather comical, but we got maybe one good shot out of the deal. Below you'll see what we captured that day.

A Mouse in the House

There may be a mouse in my house. Oh yes, there are signs!

Have I spotted the little critter? No. But I've found some little droppings here and there and I know they're not mine.

They're clever, these mice. They come out at night while I'm snoozing in my bed. And honestly, if they're going to leave their droppings somewhere, I'd prefer they leave them in the toilet!

We have a plan of action. We started by leaving the kitchen light on last night. My husband's theory was that mice would be afraid of the light, afraid of being spotted. But that didn't work; this morning the evidence was in full sight.

Sneaky little buggers. So now we have to go with Plan B. My husband will buy some mouse traps over the weekend and we'll do some mouse trapping. Let's see them wiggle their way out of that.

It makes me think back to my old third floor apartment in Pawtucket. Why, before I even moved in my 5-year-old nephew from downstairs announced, "Aunty Kathy, if you live here you're gonna have bats and mice."

Hmm. Surely the young man is yanking my chain, I hoped. I mean, he's only five, right?

However, on my very first night living there, I padded into the kitchen to get a glass of water before bed and right in the middle of the kitchen floor sitting there staring at me was a---

You guessed it, a mouse.

And of course, I screamed.

My brother-in-law from downstairs was summoned (the great white hunter, according to my sister), and the mouse problem was dealt with. At least for the time being.

There were other mice in my future... and bats, too.

We've been pretty lucky in this house, but I guess that luck has changed. I don't like the idea of sharing living space with rodents so they better beware!

I'm gonna go all Wicked Witch of the West on this mouse--

"I'll get you, you critter, and your little turds, too!"

And the beat goes on:

Here are some more of my neighborhood on the day of the storm;oh, the last one was from yesterday--the bike path completely blocked.

More Irene damage

More hurricane pics I shot after the storm.

Hurricane Irene Visits My Neighborhood on August 28

As most people know Hurricane Irene made an appearance in Rhode Island on Sunday.

The wind was gusting, rain was slashing down and I, of course, just had to go outside to take photos.

I'm posting one of the effects of Irene that happened on my street.

The Beauty of Spring

It is finally spring and I've started going around taking some flower pics.

Sometimes there are no words to convey the beauty of flowers so I'll just let them speak for themselves.

The trees are getting hit hard by constant snow. All weighed down with snow on their shoulders, they are bending and breaking under the weight.

And I think a lot of us humans are feeling the same way about now. Every day we look at the ground, look at the sky, and wonder what's next. How much more can we take?

I am trying to find happiness in good books, good movies and anything that takes me away from the winter blues.

So how about you? Do you like winter? Snow?

If you do like it, tell me why.

Please.

Off to the race track!

How fast do you drive in a parking lot? Do you drive as fast as you do on the roads? On the highway?

One of my biggest pet peeves is drivers who think parking lots are race tracks. Yup, I nearly got hit twice the other day while shopping for groceries. The first time I was making my way through the sludge and ice, attempting to get to the store entrance. On foot, of course. A little old lady decided she would pull out of her parking spot at that exact moment, instead of backing out. Backing out would have been much better.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement, so I turned to look at this automobile just inches away from me. I gaped at the driver. Really? You're coming this way even though I'm walking?

Remember that film with Dustin Hoffman? "I'm walking here!"

I can't remember the name of it. Midnight Cowboy? Well back to the story.

So she waved her hand at me to continue walking. Yes, I think I will, thank you.

Later, after filling my cart with groceries, it was back outside to the race track. Now I was attempting to push my cart through the slush, in between the parked cars, searching for oncoming cars, of course. To my left was a mini-van approaching fast. Good thing I was paying attention.

The female driver was looking, well, BEHIND HER while driving, perhaps scolding her kids in the back seat. Who knows for sure. Okay. What's wrong with this picture? Luckily, I observed that she was not looking, so I stayed put as she barreled past me.

Yes, I finally got to my car, unscathed.

Whew! Who would think a simple trip to the grocery store could be so riddled with danger?

I Need A Little Springtime!

Oops, looks like I've already broken my NY's resolution.
I didn't post on this blog yesterday.

Today we have snow, snow, snow. Have I ever mentioned I hate winter? It is cold and dreary and tough to navigate and depressing.

My current blog header picture depicts the winter blues. I am considering switching it to a picture of summer or fall to soothe my winter blues.

What do you think? Should I change it?

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011

Boy, did I really fail on last year's resolution to post every day in this blog!

First of all, for anyone reading this, here is my excuse. This past October I got a freelance job writing news stories for The Barrington Patch. That keeps me very busy. I write 3 or 4 stories a week, sometimes more.

So, here are my New Year's resolutions for 2011, which I will probably break.

1. Post on this blog every day.

2. Brush my hair out as soon as I get up in the morning. (I always wait 'til later, and it takes forever to get all the tangles out, so it takes me forever to get out the door.)

3. Try to do something helpful for someone every day.

4. Eat better, eat smarter.

5. Exercise every day.

6. Take a Yoga class.

7. Stop complaining and try to find the positive in every day.

8. Get better organized.

9. Save money.

10. Publish a short story, poem, or heavens, even a novel!