The Third Act

home in the morning...

I bought a pack of monochrome Instax film, that was on discount because of expiration.  I liked it so much I went back to get more, but the discounted ones were all sold out...boo hoo.  That being said, I found a cheaper price for fresh packs on Amazon (go figure) than any place else...so yeah, I got more.  So far I have no intention in particular for this black and white film, but thoughts around some kind of interesting self portraiture are percolating (back to the beginning?).  If I really had an idea for a long term project or series, I might invest in one of these.  But as it is, it feels too soon.  I think I've been saying this for a couple years now!  Thankfully, so far anyway, I haven't seen the price go up.

Cold this morning...around 19F!  I like it!  Of course, I haven't ventured out yet.  It's supposed to climb into the mid to upper 40s.  With sunshine and no wind, that's actually rather pleasant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a whole lotta glass

It took a while but I managed to list all the vintage Fostoria glass in Baba Yaga's Hermitage Etsy shop.  It was fun to photograph all the pieces.  The texture of this pattern is super pleasing.  I think I priced them fairly...I try to do that anyway.  Hopefully Christmas shoppers will find the shop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

back at it

I spent a good deal of time photographing and editing glassware today.  By this time in the evening, I don't feel my brain is sharp enough to actually write interesting, witty, descriptions for the items...so I'll save that for tomorrow.  Seven more listings to post soon.  I'll also share some of those photographs here as well.  Glass is so fun!

The Japanese maple is still flashy.  By tomorrow though, with temps going into the 20s overnight, it's a given that the leaves will shrivel and become dull (before they fall).  This tree has had a good run this year.

While I didn't make a fire today, I did bring in more wood in anticipation of the morning.  That little wood stove downstairs was a wonderful investment!

 

 

 

 

wrapping up November

It feels like winter is descending.  The upcoming mornings are predicted to be going down to the 20s (for a few days).  A good two thirds of the leaves have been shed from the trees.  Although, the Japanese maple continues to put on a lovely show.

Today is drizzly and cool.  It's a fire in the wood stove kind of day.  Avery and I did get out for a rather damp walk, which we both needed regardless of the weather.  I also pulled out the next series of items to list on Etsy.  These will be sets of Fostoria glassware in the "American" pattern.  There were quite a lot of these that I purchased at auction and I'm excited to be listing them either Monday or Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots to be thankful for.  One thing is that I finally got to Wyoming to visit my brother in September.  I think this is the last roll of black and white film I have from that trip.

Cowboy Cemetery...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

after the rain

The rain finally came.  I think the news said we hadn't had a soaking rain since September.  It's so great to see the colors of the autumn leaves with all the dust washed away.  Granted, a lot of those leaves feel in the downpours yesterday.  But that's how it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday

It's raining...finally!  The forecast is for the rain to last all day, getting heavier overnight.  We sure do need it.

I had an appointment this morning, but will be spending most of the rest of the day indoors.  A nap may be in order since I went to sleep after midnight and was up at 5:30 on account of Avery's barking.  Sure, I could have gone back to bed after letting her out and back in.  The thing is, I really want to improve my sleep hygiene and desire an earlier rising time (maybe not 5:30, but 6 or 6:30).  Anyway, after running around I'm back home, fire in the wood stove, finishing up some leftover soup for lunch.  I may take a short nap and then process some film.

The images below are from an Instax mini that was modified to become a pinhole by a friend of mine.  The subject came up and said friend (thanks Kevin!) offered the use of this if I wanted.  Well, duh, of course!  It took me a go or two to wrap my head around how to shoot it.  Now I just need a better sense for the exposures (I tried a few this morning and even at 10 minutes it was still too dark outside to produce anything acceptable).  Photo experiments will always be fun for me (unless they get frustrating, haha!).

 

 

truly goofed this one up, but I rather like it!

 

ghost of leaves blowing around closer to the camera here.

 

best result so far.

Sunday

Looking out at the Japanese maple, resplendent in its autumn finery...

 

 

 

a preference for solitude

I don't know when this happened.  It's probably been within the past year.  I'm finding myself with a sense of heartfelt appreciation for my solitary life.  Probably part of what has allowed this change (since my divorce I'd been in a more or less constant state of not wanting to be alone) has been the development of some closer friendships, some new, some old but which have grown in intimacy.  It feels actually very good to be living in a way that supports my nervous system and brain wiring.  To be specific, to not deal with noise or sounds or intrusive energy from anyone else.  I mean, I love being with people, having people over and having people stay.  In the end, however, I seem to need quiet and space to recenter myself.  Things change and someday this little hermitage of mine might be too much for me to upkeep.  But for now, it's my oasis.

For a long time, I yearned for another partner as well.  That has finally passed from my consciousness.  Does that mean I'll avoid another romantic relationship?  No, not really.  But I'm far beyond the point of seeking one out.  More and more I'm identifying with the solitary old crone, doing her thing, being creative, living her life, working for a better world in her own quiet, individual way.

And speaking of working for a better world...while it might not seem like much, I'm using this app every day 5calls org.  Sometimes the world is overwhelming and it's hard to feel like doing anything is worth it.  But I feel I gotta keep trying.

 

 

 

it's that time again...

Happy Flickrversary to me!  Nineteen years.  Nineteen years??  The little montage below is from my first account on the platform.  Those were the initial images uploaded.  At that time, however, I didn't understand that Flickr was actually a photo sharing social network kind of site.  The only reason I uploaded photos was to be able to put them on my old blog (which became unusable, as in I couldn't access control of it, even though it's clearly still hanging out there!!).  When I started getting views on Flickr I was amazed and thought, "oh, how cool is this?".  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, almost two decades later I'm still there, still posting away.  This blog too has seen its progression to the current state.  A lot has transpired in nineteen years.  But I'm still here, kickin' (although those kicks can carry more aches and pains than they used to!!).  I'm grateful for my life, my family and friends.  I'm grateful for the record and art of my photography.  Still learning, experimenting, and some days just putting one foot in front of the other.

 

 

 

And here I am today...fatter and grayer than I was all those years ago (and I'm okay with that....)