Popinjay - Deceptive

This week's Popinjay prompt is "Deceptive".  Let me tell you what I hate...when a store, any store, has a "going out of business sale", but the sale is a big huge snow job.  What I mean is...said store advertises BIG CLOSEOUT SALE. Signs everywhere, emails sent to your inbox, signs on the side of the street telling you to come on in and save. Everything must go, therefore, the prices as slashed WAY down.

Everything 20-75% off.


And then you walk in...and you walk around...and there is one shelf with items 75% off. Another shelf with items 50% off.


The rest of the store? is 20-35% off.  Off prices that were already above other store's prices anyway.


So...really? Not a sale...not a bargain...


Deceptive.


I hate that.

Popinjay - Hollow

 This week's Popinjay prompt is Hollow:

That's all folks!

Popinjay - Little

This week's Popinjay prompt is "Little".


There's this little sandcastle on my balcony...I keep it there year round because it reminds me that winter can't possibly last forever...

Even when surrounded by the bitter spades of winter...it smiles at me...beckons me...speaks to me...


"Soon, soon it will be summer, hang in there..."


Be sure to stop by Michelle's for a "little" more inspiration.

Popinjay - Bewildered

This week's Popinjay prompt is Bewildered:

That's my neighbor's car (and the parking spot on the left of that car USED TO BE my parking space)...he hasn't moved his car ONCE since our very first storm this winter. It sits under roughly 40 inches of snow.


Indeed.


Check out Michelle's photo here...it's a good one!


Next week's word is Innocent.  Hope you'll join us!

Popinjay - Comfortable

This week's Popinjay prompt is Comfortable.


I'm cheating this week, because we're not supposed to use pictures of our pets...but, truly...how could I not? My cats? They DEFINE comfortable on a daily basis.


Exhibit A: 

Turtle is loungin'...

Exhibit B:

Drama...no, seriously, he was totally comfortable...

Stop by Michelle's to check out who else got "Comfortable" this week. ;-)

Popinjay - Blue

This week's Popinjay prompt is "Blue". Blue...what a great color blue is. I love blue! There's a certain shade of blue that whenever I wear it, people tell me "you look great in that color".  My favorite fuzzy slippers, that I wear around the house, in the shape of some silly monster paws, are blue.  The ocean, with it's turbulent waves, and calming music...so beautiful and blue...and yet, the word blue also stands for sad, gloomy, dark...everything the opposite of beautiful and calm and soothing...

I suffer from the Winter Blues...I've been in a funk now for weeks...the lack of sunlight, the cold temperatures, the incessant snow and freezing rain...all of it combine to make me not want to leave my house, not want to leave the comfort of my couch...lazy, unmotivated, blue...

So, when in the middle of a winter's day, I catch a glimpse of sky...so blue:

 I thank God, I count my blessings...and I smile. Blue...what a beautiful color...


Make sure to pop on over to Michelle's and check out other "blue" submissions...

Popinjay - Whimsical

This week's Popinjay prompt is Whimsical:

Whimsical: spontaneous, fanciful or playful; given to whims, capricious; quaint, unusual or fantastic.

I thought for sure this would be such an easy prompt to photograph...and then suddenly, I was at a loss...

Then I remembered one of my Christmas gifts from this year. I collect Betty Boop stuff. I have for years, and my collection isn't overwhelming and huge, but it is fun, and something that makes me smile. It is also playful and so cute.

For Christmas this year my uncle gave me a set of salt and pepper shakers, and...looking at them:

They just feel "whimsical" to me. Especially when I note that the lips on the dog (and Betty's cheek) are magnetic, so they are pulled together by magnetic forces...cute right? ;-)

Make sure you stop by Michelle's to see what other whimsy's everyone found.

Popinjay - Humble

This week's Popinjay prompt is "Humble". I chose to go with the definition of the word as a verb:

Humble: To lower in condition, importance or dignity; to destroy the independence, power, or will of; to make meek.

Well, what perfect timing this is...because I can't think of anything that can humble an entire community so quickly as mother nature. Today the East Coast of the United States was hit with a great blizzard. As far as blizzards in Massachusetts go, they (being the news media) tell us this is one of the biggest we've had in years. Pretty much everything shut down. Cancellations were announced last night for business and plans alike. Folks were asked to stay off the roads. Many people lost power. There has been flooding, fires, downed trees, and the like.


Us mere mortals are left to huddle up in the warmth of our homes, and watch as nature takes over for a little while:

Humbled:

Be sure to stop by Michelle's for more "humbling" posts...

Popinjay - Strong

This week's Popinjay prompt is Strong.

There were many many ways I could have gone with this prompt, but this year, I found a strength in me I didn't know was there.

I started running...and I kept on running.

And on Thanksgiving day...I ran my first 5K.

And when I was done? I felt strong. So very strong.

When do you feel strong? Stop on by Michelle's and check out the other strong ladies and their photos!

Popinjay - Distant

This week’s Popinjay prompt is “Distant”.

I had a hard time with this one. The weather has been pretty frightful, so I haven’t really been inspired to get out there and take photos…if it’s not nasty wet and rainy out, it’s downright frigid.

SO, I thought long and hard about what Distant means to me…and how to represent it in a photo…

Distant (according to Dictionary.com): 1. Far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed; 2. Apart or far off in time; 3. Remote or far apart in any respect; 4. Reserved or aloof; not familiar or cordial.

What kept resonating in my head was the phrase “a distant memory”…

So, I give you just that…a distant memory, times gone by, a sunnier, more relaxed time…

Summer at Lake Winnipesauke, and two swimmers getting ready (in full scuba gear) to swim for what seemed like HOURS while my friend and I relaxed on beach chairs...ahhhhh

Be sure to stop by Michelle's to see what other distant photos people came up with.

Popinjay - Imperfect

The Popinjay prompt this week is "imperfect".

I thought about this one a while.

Obviously, when I hear the word “imperfect” my first thought is: Myself.

Because I am not perfect. By no means am I perfect.

I am flawed. I am broken. I am a work in progress.

My life is not perfect.

It is chaotic. It is rushed. It is sometimes painful.

My house is not perfect.

It is messy. It is disorganized. It is too often too quiet and empty…lonely.

My friends are not perfect.

They are hurting. They are struggling. They are sometimes distant.

My family is not perfect.

We are loud. We are crazy. We are learning as we go.

My world is not perfect.

But it is my world. My family. My friends. My house. My life.

I am hyper critical of myself, not so much of the rest of the world around me (family, friends, house and world escape the critique).

I am never truly satisfied with what I see when I look in the mirror. With my attempts (and failures) at healthy eating, regular exercise, temper control, humility.

My imperfections stare out at me with unblinking fierceness, like a spotlight on a stage.

And yet…

My faith is a strong faith, and my God created me, and this life I live. If He formed me, in His image, then how can I possibly be any less than perfect?

My “imperfections” are what make me me; unique, one of a kind, and most of all, His.

No, I am not perfect, but I am Imperfectly Exactly Who I was Created to be.

And I’m perfectly happy with that.

(self-portraits are a big part of "letting go" for me...this one is a little older....Drama (the kitty) is quite a bit bigger now).

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect, it means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections”. - Unkown

Picture It Outside of the Box - 5 - Shoot Up A Tree

It's been a few weeks since I've done one of Secret Agent Mama's "Picture It Outside The Box" challenges...but here I go.

This week's Challenge is "Shoot Up A Tree", and it is...basically what it sounds like.

Shooting UP at a tree is actually something I love to do...you get such interesting perspectives when you do that.

I have several photos in my files like these:

So, it was hard to pick just one...But for this challenge, I decided to go with this one:

How about you? Wanna shoot up a tree?

Popinjay - Fake

I spent this weekend working a Catholic youth retreat. I have been involved with these retreats since I went on one myself 19 years ago...NINETEEN YEARS. Wow...

Preparations for this retreat began months ago. It involves a lot of time, sacrifice and hard work. It involves a lot of prayer. It involves a lot of love.

Every year, as the preparations are happening, there is a mixture of anticipation and "why do I always do this to myself?" ;-) But I know why, I always know why.

I spent the weekend with my closest friends, my faith family, and with an amazing group of young kids. I'll tell you right now that whatever society wants us to believe about teenagers today, they haven't looked hard enough at these kids. They haven't given them a chance. I work with youth a lot and again and again I'm reminded that "kids today" are amazing. They are intelligent, and caring and loving, and amazing.

I spent the weekend with God.

I came home recharged, filled with love and awe, and hope.

There was nothing Fake about this weekend...

Except for the tattoos...

Those were fake. ;-)

Pop on over to Michelle's to see what kind of fake things others are picturing this week...

Wordless Wednesday - Fireside

I'm Watching You

Sometimes, there are no words necessary...

Breathing...

In case you missed my post yesterday...I'm a little overwhelmed on the road to "burnt out"...

So today...I just need a little serenity:

That's all.

Silent Saturday

Popinjay - Curious

This week’s Popinjay prompt is Curious – eager to know about something, too inquisitive…

I know a while back, when we first started popinjay, there were some rules about no kids or pets…I also know we’ve all taken it upon ourselves to break all the rules somewhere along the way, lol.

SO, this week, I am once again breaking the rules, because well…let’s be honest, what’s more curious than a cat?

And I have two.

This is Turtle…

...investigating the only plant I’ve ever managed to keep and not kill.

When this plant started out in my house, about 3 years ago, it was a little bitty thing…it is now a tree. It was taller, actually, but the twins (the kitties) got quite CURIOUS about it when they first came home, and knocked it over, and broke the top half clean off.

Still, my lovely tree/plant thrives.

And still the cats are curious…

Popinjay - Silent

I haven't done Popinjay in a few weeks, but I'm back!

This week's prompt is "Silent".

1. Making no sound, quiet, still

2. characterized by absence of speech or sound

3. unspoken, tacit

On Saturday afternoon, I went for a run over by the river in my hometown. I always run with my headphones on and my music cheering me on. Although the fact that I'm listening to music obviously means that I'm not in complete silence, there is something that happens to me, when i'm running outdoors, blocked from the rest of the world by my music that actually represents a sort of "silence" to me.

I get caught up in the music, and after a while, barely even notice it is there, and what happens in turn, is that the world around me becomes silent, still, foreign, and beautiful in it's quietness.

This is the world I ran through Saturday:

It's hard to not be inspired to run just a little further when this is your view, don't you think?

Make sure to stop by Michelle's to "hear" what silence sounds like to others.

Three Signs O'Fall and a Photo

Even though I'm a total slacker blogger now, in my old days, I was quite active over here on this blog. (Go on, look over some of my old posts...see? Busy blogger then).

Anyway, it was in those olden days that I joined a FABULOUS group of ladies who blog. Individually, they are all amazing bloggers in their own right. Collectively, we are "SheWhoBlogs".

This month SheWhoBlogs is having a contest, and I'm entering. You should too!

For this contest we've been asked to share with our readers (that's all 2 of you reading this right now) what we consider to be 3 signs that Fall has arrived, as well as a photo of what Autumn is to us.

This is an easy one for me, because as much as I consider myself a summer girl, whenever Fall arrives, I realize that it really is my favorite season.

So, what are the 3 signs that represent fall to me?

The very first one, and my most favorite one, is the air. It's something that is hard to explain, and if you don't live in an area where Fall is a "real" season, you really have to experience it to understand it. But those of us who live in areas where Fall makes it's presence known, well we know it well. The air changes. The smell, the weight of it, the breeze, the color of the sky, all of it, is suddenly, almost overnight...different.

Suddenly, you step outside and and breathe and...BOOM there it is. Autumn has arrived. It's a beautiful thing.

The second sign of Fall, at least here in New England, are the pumpkins. PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE! Pumpkin farms spring up in neighbors back yards. There are pumpkin pies, pumpkin spiced coffees and lattes, pumpkin's decorating front stoops, pumpkins spilling out of every store front...

I don't actually like pumpkin. Not the pies, not the fruit (vegetable?) itself...but I just love the sight of them, as it signals that Autumn has arrived.

The third sign of spring, once again, especially here in New England, is by far my most favorite...it is, of course, the changing of the leaves. It starts early enough, sometimes as early as the beginning of September, and on a good year (as this year has been), it lasts well into November.

Slowly, here and there, a tree will have a yellow leaf, or a red, orange, almost purple one...

Then, within weeks, a few more trees take on this rainbow of colors.

And then, as if overnight

, driving down a highway on the way to New Hampshire, it's as if you were caught in a whirlwind of reds, oranges, yellows...breathtaking really.

I'll never get enough of it, and it almost makes the long, cold, dreary winters worth it.

Okay, that's a lie...but, you know, at least we have the leaves.