Azure

Listen!  the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,

We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!

~ Humbert Wolfe

 There is a harmony

In autumn, and a lustre in its sky...

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley  

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

~ George Eliot

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. ~Edwin Way Teale

Ho! for the leaves that eddy down, 

Crumpled yellow and withered brown, 

Hither and yonder and up the street 

 And trampled under the passing feet; 

Swirling, billowing, drifting by, 

With a whisper soft and a rustling sigh....

~ Grace Strickler Dawson

Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

~ Emily Bronte

photo #1 my backyard

photo #2 crabapple loaded with berries

photo #3 birch

photo #4 spiderweb in the hawthorne

photo #5 my backyard

This post is for SkyWatch Friday hosted by Wren, fishing guy, Sylvia, Klaus, and Sandy.  Come join us in this awesome meme, link up, and meet folks from all over the globe. 

This post is also for the etsy bloggers' team carnival.   Linda of Spotted Cow Soaps is the host and will post all the submissions on her blog on Monday, October 11 HERE.  For this carnival, Linda asks us to "Show us some awesome photos of autumn in and around where you live."

photos by me © 2010 (taken today in my yard)

sykin

fertile, producing abundance,
prolific: a trait that describes Missie well!
look at her wonderful photography

which can be found in her etsy shop, Sykin's NW Wonders, along with jewelry pieces.

Next up is her Sykin's One Stop Twilight Shop where you can find Twilight inspired jewelry and cards.


And then, she even has an Overstock Shop.

You really must check out her BLOG, Sykin's One Stop Etsy Shopping Guide.  Daily, she features some of the wonderful items etsy has for sale.  (A recent favorite is a shop that makes felt food including some delicious-looking rock candy.)

Next up, Fraying Fabric Productions, her graphic design site.

Missie is a member of the following etsy teams: Etsy Bloggers ♦ Etsy Moms ♦ Fabulous Artistic Moms ♦ EtsyRAIN

You can also find her on Facebook and twitter.

Sykin is the featured etsy blogger for the month of July.

photos by Milissa Hodson © 2010

vacations!

Vacations are the shimmery gossamer threads of enchantment from which memories are woven.  After years gone by, how they shine in our hearts!  When I was  younger, it was summer vacations that I most remembered about my childhood family experiences.  To the beach we would go for a 2 week holiday.

little snippets of memories:

◊ the breeze blowing the curtains in my room as I lay in the twilight ready for sleep

◊ my Dad and I laughing as a wave we have been riding spills us upon the sand

◊ dinner at a restaurant on the boardwalk with little mints on the table 
◊  the wind blowing me off my feet 

LINKS:

Summertime....back in the day.... with photos from the past
hot fun in the summertime! with photos from the past

I still love the beach, and it makes the perfect wintertime getaway for me and my husband.  Often I get to celebrate my birthday and our wedding anniversary then.  (They are only several days apart in February.)  Once on my birthday, I was on a snorkeling trip in the Caribbean.  Nothing could be better.  To lie in the sand under the hot sun, swim in the cool water, and relax, ahh, just relax.  time to be still and just enjoy being alive.  

In the summertime, I like a more active vacation--one that involves exploring and hiking and seeing beautiful natural scenery.  When my kids were growing up we'd often take two week vacations "out West"--the western US, that is. 

some memorable times:

◊ hiking in the Grand Canyon--more than once (I have a dream to hike all the way to the bottom and back up again, of course!)  One time my husband helped rescue a guy who was struggling to make it back out.  But that's a whole other adventure!
◊ hiking in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado) with my husband and daughter.  We lost the trail coming back up from the bottom and made our own way which was rather steep for a while.  We had to pull ourselves up by grasping onto bushes.  (We later considered this fun and an adventure!)  There was a guy who came into our very secluded campsite at dusk and talked to us while we were starting to eat dinner.  This was very strange and we reported it as soon as he left.  We later believed he was a criminal that the police were hunting.  But that's another story.
◊ standing inside a giant redwood tree  (Seeing redwoods had been a dream of mine since I was 10 and a friend visited California)
◊ the stunning, electric, living blue water of Crater Lake
◊ the devastation caused by the fires in Yellowstone, the volcano of Mt. St. Helens

◊ seeing the incredible majesty of Glacier National Park
◊ the buttes, and other strange and wonderful desert land formations in Arizona and Utah
◊  seeing wildlife up close--elk, bears, moose
◊  snowball fights in Summer!
My dream vacation is visiting any of these most wondrous places and reveling in the beauty.  I have been most blessed to have seen such marvels.
This is for the etsybloggers' team carnival. 


photos by me © 2008-2010
GUIDE TO PHOTOS:
long ago
Prickly Pear, an uninhabited island near St. Maarten (coral reefs!)
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Glacier National Park

The Art of Sleeping

by Earnest

The stairs are my most favoritest place to cat nap.  I especially like this step.  It is part way up and part way down.  I am happy to spend most of every day right here.
Where do you most like to sleep?

Cats on Tuesdays is hosted by Gattina on her blog My cats and funny stories.  Post about your cat(s) and link up!

photo by me © 2010

Northside Mother's Day Randomness (part one)

a family excursion to Northside, Cincinnati, involves a lunch at Melt, and photographic wanderings and musings...

Nestled between I 74 and I 75, practically surrounded by several parks, north and slightly west of downtown Cincinnati,  Northside calls itself an "urban village."

A "real" population began to develop in the 1820s with the development of the Miami-Erie Canal and the CH&D Railroad.  This area, originally named Cumminsville, became  known as a place Cincinnatians could visit to get away from the city.  









After WWII, industry exploded, and the highway system became well developed.  People no longer had to live near their work.  Thus began the exodus to more rural areas, and Cumminsville declined.

spires  

Northside (name changed a few decades ago) has experienced a renaissance in recent years.  The community strives to be a hip, holistic, diverse, and sustainable environment, providing a variety of cultural, work, and educational opportunities.

courtyard outside Melt

Independently owned restaurants abound. 

inside chairs at Take the Cake

LINKS:

Northside official website

Melt restaurant

Take the Cake restaurant 

photos by me © 2010

Earth Day 2010

Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

LINKS to my past posts on Glacier:

Glacier Skies

Majesty  
(includes links to Hidden Trail information and Ken Burns' PBS series) 
Along the Hidden Lake Trail

Escape

(several of my photos, as well as links to Glacier National Park and information about glaciers.  See what a glacier looks like close up--fascinating!)
photos by me © 2010

Sunset over Pagosa Springs: SkyWatch Friday

Pagosa Springs, Colorado, USA

Pagosa Springs is a small town, situated on a high desert plateau at 7079 feet on the Western slope of the Continental Divide.   It is surrounded by the 3 million acre San Juan National Forest.  The Rocky Mountains frame the town to the North and East.

The springs, rich with sulphur, are one of the largest and hottest in the world.  The Ute Indians called the springs Pah gossah meaning "healing waters."

 The Springs Resort and Spa

Here we spend a wonderful several hours (at night when it was truly magical) soaking away in the 18 pools of  temperatures ranging from 83 to 114 degrees F (27-46C).  Here's a LINK to the pools with descriptions and photos.  The spa overlooks the beautiful San Juan River.  Every pool offers a different experience and beautiful views.  There is one pool with a waterfall and 3 pools that mix in cooler river water.  As cold white stars glitter overhead, we plunge our bodies into the soft waters, while trails of incandescent vapors swirl through the night sky.  aaahh....  

LINKS:

wikipedia article 

The Springs Resort and Spa descriptions of the pools

description of the water (contains the following minerals:  sulfate, sodium, chloride, potassium, silica, magnesium, fluoride, lithium, boron, manganese, arsenic, iron, zinc.  Read about the health benefits of each.)
great article by Amy Maestas for InsideOutside Magazine (She states that geologists say hot springs occur where there is recent volcanism, of which there are many such places in the San Juans.)

This post is for SkyWatch Friday hosted by Wren, fishing guy, Sylvia, Klaus, and Sandy.   

Come join us in this awesome meme, link up, and meet folks from all over the globe.

photos by me © 2007

monochrome

 

This is a color photo!  taken on Tuesday, February 16 out my kitchen window.  The longest icicles are about 4 feet.  By Wednesday, we have about 2 feet of snow on the ground, more than we usually get all winter, and a record amount for February.

photo by me © 2010

an incomplete retrospective

2009 partially revisited...

The year was like a tsunami, very deeply personally difficult.  I had often thought to write something to explain my absences or lacks of response.  And here I am starting again, yet facing the same inability of expression.
HERE is where I alluded to my mother's illness which began in mid-January.  I was her POA and looked after her and her interests.  She died on June 4.  She was so loved by so many...
In March, we discovered my husband's brother (who lives 1700 miles away) was having mental difficulties~early dementia.  We flew out to visit him and assess the situation which resulted in my husband becoming his POA.  There are heaps of on-going issues here. 
And yet there are even more personally distressing situations and events that occurred in 2009, some of which are ongoing.  But I shall leave it at that...incomplete.
GOODBYE, tsunami!

There were also wonderful aspects of last year.  It is well said in this poem:

For each thorn, there's a rosebud...

for each twilight---a dawn...

for each trial---the strength to carry on,

for each storm cloud---a rainbow...

for each shadow---the sun...

for each parting---sweet memories

when sorrow is done.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, yes, it was a most difficult year, but there have been many rainbows as well. 

I started blogging!  Here's my very first post:  Wintertime Beauty in Ice and Snow!  I even had 3 comments!  I had no idea blogging would be so much fun.  I've "met" the most wonderful people--like you, dear reader!

I started selling in 2 etsy shops, Splendid Little Stars and Sparkly Park.          

I joined the etsy bloggers' street team

In April, my husband and I went to Phoenix, Arizona for a week.  It was mainly to help out my brother in law.  I did get to spend a day at the wonderful Desert Botanical Garden.  There was an amazing Chihuly (an incredible glass artist) installation throughout the park.

Fish Creek Canyon (above)                                                 Dale Chihuly "The Sun" (right)                                          

I spent uncountable hours at the hospital or rehab visiting my mother, where I met many kind, loving, amazing, wonderful caregivers.

view from a window at the hospital

I saw a lovely rainbow through the windows in the back of my house.

I dreamed by the fire....

 watched spring emerge...

visited our friends in Indianapolis, the same friends as in this POST.   I had fun taking photos of interesting houses and buildings.

taught tie dye classes in various places including a Girl Scout camp!

worked in my garden

snuggled with kitties

visited my daughter in Asheville, North Carolina

attended 4 weddings

made a few crafts

cooked wonderful food

watched the leaves turn colors

enjoyed sunsets

and photographed everything!

  

What do I want to accomplish in 2010?  What do I look forward to?  What are my hopes and dreams?  Although I may have many ambitions ( I had them last year, too), I know it is the simple things I will enjoy most, good health, and the love of family and friends. Although I will work toward my goals, both business (increasing online visibility, new designs, new projects, organization) and personal (organization, more bicycling, cherishing friendships), I realize that life offers numerous unforeseen events.  So here's to my wonderful and supportive friends, both on and off line!

This is for the etsy bloggers' street team carnival which will be published on Monday, January 18 by Beaded Tail.  Sharla asks us to answer one of these questions:
1) Now that 2009 has come to a close, what will you remember most about last year?
2) Now that 2010 is here, what do you have planned/look forward to/hope to accomplish this year?              
photos by me © 2009 and 2010