Tuesday, January 31, 2017

In the bleak midwinter


Technically the Christmas season lasts until Candlemas which is still a few days from now. That means you can still listen to Christmas music.

And it is apt!

I was looking over the photos I've taken over the last few weeks. Bleak, bleak, bleak!

But beautiful, you know?

I took the space age picture up above just today. That was this morning when I pulled into the parking lot at work! And here are a few others.


That was when I was in the car with my friend Sharon. We were working on a story for the Western New York 100 Things series in The Buffalo News.

I took this one in Delaware Park.


It is as if I have a black-and-white camera!



That was when I went ice skating, an event that proved newsworthy. It was part of our 100 Things series. I have been having the greatest time with that.

Back to black and white.


Oops, a little green got in there. How did that happen?




It never ends.

In the bleak midwinter!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Frozen


I've been having fun these days shopping at Dollar Tree as part of my everyday errands. One thing I have done is explored Dollar Tree's freezer case.

And behold, good news! You can get great frozen vegetables at Dollar Tree. A whole pound of mixed veg, California Blend or Stir Fry, for $1. That beats what you spend other places. So I picked up a few. I bought the blends, plus a pound of broccoli. You are lucky, you know, to find broccoli for $1 a pound, and here it is for that price all neatly cut up for you.

And speaking of good news ... When I got home something made me look at the bags closely.

These are holy bags!

One of them said, beneath the cooking directions:

"God is strong and can keep you from falling. He can bring you before His glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy." -- Jude 1:24.

That was California Blend speaking. Broccoli Cuts had their own quote.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -- Isaiah 41:10.

It is like the Aldi eggs, where you open the carton and read a psalm! I am telling you, it is the little things like this that can make your day. The Lord speaks to you from unexpected places!

These veggies are from TJ Farms. Let us look them up. I get the idea it is just this generic brand under the umbrella of Flagship Food Group. There is no mention of Scripture.  And yet still, there it is.  Someone is having a little fun, somewhere.

These are the frozen vegetables the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad!


Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Journal angst



Zounds, I am getting a late start to the New Year!

Yesterday, and only yesterday, I got around to starting my 2017 Bullet Journal. BuJo, to use the hip abbreviation. I did a story last summer on bullet journals  -- actually the bigger story was this one -- and I actually have kept up the habit, since June. Right on schedule, my old journal ran out, and so it is time for the new.

And so I broke open a sketchbook I bought at Vidler's. I opened it up.

But darn, it is difficult to start a new journal!

Above is a painting of me holding pen in hand and wondering how I should start.

The old journal, it was a book I had bought at a garage sale. Faintly ruled, hard cover, I think I bought it thinking I would give it as a gift, but in the end I used it myself. No one else would have loved this book as much as I have over the last six months, I will tell you that.

But we were casual with each other, this notebook and I. I thought nothing of flipping a page and starting some new list or goal. "Ways in Which I Will Lose 10 Pounds In the Next Two Months." "Books I Need To Read Before the End of the Year." Yeah right as Leonard Pennario would say.

There was a lot in the old journal pertaining to Pennario. And a lot pertaining to church coffee hour. You would think I did nothing but write and bake. Oh wait, I do in fact do nothing but write and bake.

Anyway, the new journal. The paper is heavier. There are no rules. It seems to cry out for something more momentous.

Oh well. That will change. It will get used to tripe and drivel. That is what a journal is for! I will post some pages from it now and then, I was thinking. Other people post their journal pages and I love ogling them so it is time I contributed.

It is kind of exciting now that I think about it.

Welcome, 2017!