Back From the Dark Ages....A Story of Survival

I am back!  It was such a mess, and i am grateful that it was not worse for us here.  My heart goes out to all those that lost SO very much due to the storm.  Our damage here was insignificant in the bug scheme of things.  The lives lost and devastation was mind boggling to see....what i could see, without power for 14 days.  No internet, TV, lights.....it was far from pleasant and yes indeed, i whined a lot!  Not proud of that.  Let's just say i would have made a nightly lousy pioneer woman.  i have a very rough time with winter and the lack of light when things are "normal" here....this darkness by 5:00pm with dimness by 3:30pm was killer.

My iphone was my umbilical cord to the world....poor thing was charged by generator or car charger constantly so i would be able to stay in contact as best i could.  I need new eyeballs....asking santa....as mine are exhausted from viewing that tiny screen.

The winds picked up and it began raining on the afternoon of November 3rd.  By 7:00pm we had been experiencing flickering of the lights....and by 7:45pm we were plunged into what would become 2 full weeks, almost to the hour of living the pioneer life.  We live on acreage and had secured everything as best we could during the morning.  Our driveway (almost a 1/4 mile gravel lane off the street) is lined with 40-50 foot tall pines, as is the perimeter of our pastures and backyard.  They were swaying gracefully starting in late afternoon....by nightfall they were tipping and whipping around in a frenzy.  After losing power and being plunged into interior darkness, i lit candles and sat in the kitchen fiddling around with some editing on my charged up (thankfully) iPad.  Around 10pm, i got up to make myself something hot to drink, the heat was now off, along with the well pump and yep, the toilets. While standing at the sink filling a pot with water (the last in the lines until the generator fired up in the morning) i heard a sickeningly long drawn out cracking sound.  Panicked that a pine was headed in my direction and through the house, i bolted to the middle of the room, when i heard the thud...i put the pot on the stove (thank heaven's for propane!) and grabbed a flashlight.  The first victim of Sandy....a HUGE pine had fallen perfectly placed between the row of pines in the rear yard and the wooden  jungle gym that is the love of Lileigh Grace's life at the moment! I warmed up and listened to what was now a constant roar of wind, with whopping gusts occurring for good measure.  The next day we found out the winds topped 75MPH constant and over 100MPH in gusts.  We also found 20 or so of the huge pines had met their fate...3 across the driveway with 4 or 5 more uprooted and leaning...one in the large pasture, snapped at the base, and many in the perimeter down or leaning.  One at the pasture entrance had crushed the metal gate.....it looked like a pile of flat pipes on the ground....the trunk wedged between the plow blade and attachment to the snowplow for the truck.  Lost a large Cedar, which also crushed a fence and another massive pine that took off the corner of the overhang on the barn....it looked like a war zone.  Back by the swings there were 3 large ones snapped, all missing the swing set and a whole group of them precariously leaning on others...destined to also come down.  It was a most depressing sight.  When we were able to move the trees from the driveway, my husband set off to try and help the folks that needed tarps for roofs that had trees through them.  He has been running non stop from 5am to 8 or 9 pm daily for the past 2 weeks, trying to get to as many folks as he can....but we are a very small operation, with only a couple crews.  By day 7 of no power and being lied to by the power company, everyones nerves were frazzled.  We had just been through this the fall before due to a snowstorm that came around Halloween, while autumn leaves were still on the trees...we had no power for 9 days.....this appeared to be even worse.

I just decided to post this shot...taken the day after the electrons returned to my wires.  The joy on my face is so evident!  It was 66 degrees, sunny and warm....i had not been out to shoot in two weeks, and just needed....REALLY needed a day of fun!  This shot was taken by my dear friend Sharon.  She sent it to me to use an my icon shot for Facebook.  i am very self critical and most shots end up in the delete bin.....but i LOVE this shot!  She captured my soul and my being!!

I hope that everyone is healing and helping those in need from this devastating storm.  Being the beach person i am, my heart breaks for the people of the coast...and i do hope that people with cell phones, that can spare a donation, will text 90999 (Red Cross, Disaster Relief for the Hurricane Victims) and allow a $10.00 donation to them to help.  We are Jersey Strong, and we will be Jersey Restored Strong.
I have donated and also taken a load of winter coats.  Pay it forward for my blessings is what i do.
Have a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving, all.

Looking Down...another perspective of life.

I think i have been missing for awhile.   For those of you that are new to my world, i happily got a new grand bean in September and have been very busy with all sorts of bits of life for the past month.  i am making progress catching up, only to find that other things have slipped to the back burner...and so it goes.

i am preparing to host my fall boutique the week of November 10th, with a number of artists joining me.  I am grateful i have so many people around me that make beautiful things, and that there are so many that know the value of these beautiful homemade gifts to give their family and friends over the holidays.  I did the boutique for 16 years....then took a hiatus to help my sister in law with her twins that were born premature.  I kind of "let it go" after that, much to the disappointment of my artist friends and my great bunch of shoppers!  Suffice it to say, people were still asking "when are you going to open The Shepherd's Daughter Boutique again!?  I miss that!"  SO....this year i caved.  I lost my job in June, and thought, why not.  i will have more time to devote to it and can stay open the whole week instead of just opening on weekends like i used to.

I must be certifiably insane, as i began my photography business in January and things as they usually are, are slow to start....but now of course they are picking up....right when i need to gear up for this event...AND a big shoot this coming weekend!  One thing i can not do is take a little time to play...i know what happens if i don't, and it is not a pretty sight!  My classes with Kim Klassen are a huge part of my sanity keeping repitoire, and this weeks challenge was try looking down shots.  It just to happens that last week, i did just that!  As i walked past 2 of my sweet beans, i glanced down at them on the flor and what i saw was a whole new view of Lileigh Grace and her brother, Noah.  She spends a lot of time taking things away from him and not sharing....after being the "one and only" for a little over 2 years, and finally realizing he is not going back where he came from, she seems to finally be making peace with the whole thing!  Here, she feeds him from his sippy cup,  "Because, Mmmm-ma, he spills."
she tells me matter of factly.

Km, this is for you.  I had no time to stand on a chair yet this week, and these two looked so cute from my above view!  I hope you enjoy seeing part of my world from another perspective!

Soar....as best you can!

I am SOOOOOO behind in my lessons, thanks to a month away to help my daughter as a labor coach and to become settled into the lovely disruptive routine that babies bring!  I am struggling to catch up...but making slow progress, juggling between 3 of Kim Klassen's classes.  I am seriously considering nominating her for sainthood, for her patience with me! I may crack her yet...she has not gotten my questions of the day today! ;)

The lesson in Beyond Layers today was in Photoshop and holy cow, do I need help learning that!  I was beginning to think I was REALLY, SERIOUSLY in over my head as I watched Day 72's video!
(Thus the questions I will be submitting to her shortly!)

The top photo was my original shot....so to practice the cloning tool, which I am used to in Elements (altho i can't seem to make it larger than a set size there) I moved the Pelican and got rid of his other foot splash.  I added text and texture, and futzed with some opacity and blends and did a little erasing of my over zealous work with the paintbrush tool!

I am not totally thrilled with it, but am pleased that I was able to follow the steps....sort of...sometimes after a few DUH! moments!

Bottom line!  We can ALL SOAR....at our own pace and in our own time!  Believe!!

OK....back to the computer for more catch up time!

My Littlest Big Interruption!

Life has a way of throwing curves...at my age you would think i would know and expect that!  Enter Luke Maddox...Sept. 5th 2012.

My daughter was due on Sept. 2nd.  Her doctors told her they would induce her the week before so he would not be too big for her to deliver.  She was a high risk pregnancy for most of it, and they wanted no issues.  They set up a tentative date for induction....Tuesday,  August 28th...with the words:
 "Don't think you will make it through the weekend."  The weekend came and went.  Monday she went to her doctor visit and they decided to cancel the induction, because Luke was not in exactly the right place and that meant inducing would increase her likelihood of a C-section.  She was told..."things are progressing...so probably before the weekend." Ok....now i have been here a full week because of the first indication of impending birth. (It is a 5.5 hour drive to her house and she wanted someone here, since her husband was going to work until the day she went into labor.) Another week, and weekend passed....no Luke.  Another doctor visit, scheduled for Tuesday the 4th....and she wakes Tuesday morning in labor.  OK!  Here we go!!  2 days past her due date but that's ok...we are ready! (she more than anyone)

To make a long story short....missed her Tuesday doctor appt.....intense labor for 21 hours and 2 hours of pushing....and they decide it was C-section time at 4:00am on Wed. the 5th....Great Grandma's birthday!  By 4:30 am, Luke was back in the room, with mama and daddy....and me!  i was there as a labor coach, along with my son in law, but when it got to be delivery by c-section, i had to stay behind and wait...but not long for the happy moment!

I have been quite busy for the past 2 weeks.  My daughter was hit with a wicked bout of postpartum depression and so i opted to stay thru this week, when her husband had to return to work.  I am enjoying my time here, but working hard to make it all easier for my daughter.  She is finally beginning to feel better and calmer...  more self assured that she can handle things and is getting some sleep. i am getting some precious bonding time with my 3rd little grand bean...and will be supremely sad when it is my time to go home.  Luke is doing well...in just 9 days has gained 11 oz., and is sleeping in 3-4.5 hour stretches overnight.  I, on the other hand have a lot of catching up to do....both back home in NJ and with my 3 classes...blessings to  my teacher Kim for being the amazing and sweet, understanding teacher she is!

Yes, babies may be tiny, but they bring an avalanche of big delightful changes to your life!

Circles Today...Lazy Ones While We Wait....

 NYC is a great place to find shapes....the angled shapes of buildings, and their accents, to the wheels of cars and bikes, or circular bubbles in Central Park.  Below the steering wheel and gages of a vintage car, and even the rounded shape of the dashboard are circular.

There is no time here at the moment to go on a hunt for more circles....trying to be patient and take care of my daughter and do laundry...decide what to make for dinner, all the things that hopefully will make the time go faster before Luke's arrival.  waiting really is the hardest thing!
hope you have a wonderful day..and i promise more interesting blogs when life settles to a dull roar here! :D