A little texture on Tuesday . . .

{Kim Klassen music lovin'}

"To analyze the charms of flowers is like dissecting music;

it is one of those things which it is far better to enjoy,

rather than attempt to fully understand."

- Henry T Tuckerman

I suppose most things in life are better enjoyed rather than understood which is why

  I'm not even going to try to fully understand why my poppy plant is even still blooming, here in Texas, in almost 100 degree temps as of late. I never even got it planted in the ground, which is why it is even more amazing the thing is still alive. The first blooms I got on it were a really pretty peachy pink, but they have since turned to white blooms. It said it was a mix, but apparently it now has the hiccups.

Today was supposed to be the start of my Monarch series, I know, I keep teasing you, but I promise it's not on purpose. Honestly, I was chasing 42 caterpillars today, just keeping their poop cleaned up with that many is a full time job! I had to transfer them to new plants as they devoured the other ones, and then one kept wanting to climb all over the swallowtail chrysalis, I had to break up some fights (seriously then can get really fiesty with one another and have battle scars to show for it), and then there was the one that had green vomit, which is a very bad sign. 

Thankfully when I brought in a new plant for them I noticed something under one of the leaves. I removed it and looked closer and it was literally hundreds of some kind of caterpillar that is not a Monarch, which would be all over my dining room by now. I'm pretty sure by my google search that they're milkweed tussock moth caterpillars, I think?

I'll be late in getting around to everyone since today is another infusion day. Geez, the doctor called yesterday and said I had forgotten to make his infusion appointment for right after her appointment she didn't know if they would have his medicine. I felt horrible, but thankfully they called back and said they did have the medication on hand and that they could work us in, Yeah! I've been so horribly forgetful lately, in fact most of my freshly brewed coffee ended up all over my counter and under the refrigerator . . . I forgot to empty the pot of the old coffee before brewing a new batch and the other day I somehow took my home phone with me to Walgreen's in my pocket! haha

I hope you have a great day!

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Tuesday Around the World, Tuesday Muse, Sweet Shot Tuesday

Got Milk?

"Think what a better world it would be if we all,

the whole world,

had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon

and then lay down on our blankets for a nap."

- Robert Fulghum

YES, I think this is a great experiment . . . who's in?

And,

let's start today, okay?

But can we move it to noon, 'cause at 3 0'clock I have to be somewhere and  somehow

I don't think the doctor will appreciate me eating cookies on a blanket in his office! ;)

"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose" - Woody Allen

Wishing you a weekend with lots of cookies and milk . . . and of course a couple of naps to go with it!!

Love, Kim

XO

sharing with Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Friday Photo Journal

Finding Serendipity

A little grey is okay . . .

"When I was a little girl, everything in the world fell into either of these two categories: wrong or right.

Black or white. Now that I am an adult, I have put childish things aside and now I know that some 

things fall into wrong and some things fall into right. Some things are categorized as black and some 

things are categorized as white. But most things in the world aren't either! Most things in the world 

aren't black, aren't white, aren't wrong, aren't' right, but most of everything is just different. And now

I know that there's nothing wrong with different, and that we can let things be different, we don't have 

to try and make them black and white, we can just let them be grey. And when I was a child, I thought 

that God was the God who only saw black and white. Now that I am no longer a child, I can see, that

God is the God who can see the black and white and the grey, too, and He dances on grey!

Grey is okay."

- C. Joybell C.

{KK ugglovebandw, KK word}

I have read that artistry in photography requires the ability to achieve a state of unconstricted awareness, free of conventional ways of seeing and thinking.

And well, I think that is true in life too.

We lose the art of living our own life when we are motivated to please others by conforming to their way of thinking only to be in the group, to win approval, or to feel accepted.

It's funny, everyone wants to be different, they just don't want to "like" different.

People want to stand out from the crowd, but don't want to give permission to anyone else to do the same. 

They like the tidiness of black and white. But black and white is about control and if we are always trying to be "in control" don't we miss out on all the beautiful loose ends that end up being life, that just passes all of us by simply because we forgot how to read between black and white.

Because between black and white is grey, shades of grey. And I'm not talking about a book, but about shades of beautiful people that we miss because we have only learned to see contrast, black or white, right and wrong.

{KK Not too shabby}

Between black and white, between yielding and rigid, is compromise. Both in life and photography. Between black and white there are no labels. Frederick Franck said, " By these labels we recognize everything but no longer see anything." Between black and white everything and everyone is important and has value, there is no judgment, no categories.

Seeing only black or white does not give way to flexibility, nor does it give one the ability to deviate from their own so called rules of life. In photography it means always leaning into the "rules of composition", just to miss the essence of what we are photographing in the first place.

Grey is okay. In fact, grey is really good. And a black and white photograph? Its made up of shades of grey.

Life, is made up of shades of grey too. 

I don't believe there is much adventure to be found in black and white, you are either a leader or a follower, never both.

Always teetering on the edge of right and wrong, black and white keeps our imagination from our camera and allows us to miss the true beauty of people too.

I've learned that dancing to the beat of my own drum, one that is a shade of grey (definitely with a hint of pink), is a much happier place to be. Like me for who I am, or leave me for someone I am not.

Yes, being a shade of grey means we are different, and different is what makes life interesting. God gave us each a unique shade so that we would be, could be different.

Yes, between black and white are shades of grey and if we read carefully between the lines, those shades of grey, we will also find a hint of color.

God not only dances on grey, but He celebrates it!

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Tuesdays Around The World, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tuesday Muse

Pop it . . .

"[Orange] is one of God's favorite colors --

He stuck it right there between red and yellow as the second color of the rainbow.

He decorates entire forests with shades of orange every Autumn.

It shows up in sunrises at the start of the day,

sunsets at the end of the day,

and in the glow of the moon at the right time of night."

- Reggie Joiner

Today's texture theme is "pop" to be interpreted in which ever way floats our boat. . . 

I chose to use a "pop" of orange, one of my Monarch's that eclosed while we were gone

on Sunday and must not have had enough room to spread her wings completely out, and they dried

slightly curled. She was having a great deal of difficulty flying properly.

I used a very slow shutter speed here to show the motion of her trying to flap her wings.

{Kim Klassen All that, look up, and weathered}

{Kim Klassen Phoebe}

How excited was I when my dear bloggy friend Deanna told me that she saw I had won Kim Klassen's giveaway . . . the cloth and paper texture collection.

It's awesome . . . thank you again Kim, for your generosity!

And to Deanna, seriously if she had not told me I may have missed it....

And . . . oh my . . . 

Speaking of missing something...deep breath...and..........an even deeper sigh . . . 

I got a summons for jury duty, like a month ago, when Sam first got sick.

I put the envelope on the counter, and forgot about it! I forgot about it!!

I called, practically in tears...oh yes tears, and tried to calmly tell the woman why I missed it.

All the while hoping she hadn't sent the police to come arrest me, seriously . . . 

She said I hadn't missed it, she said today IS the 6th . . . even bigger panic . . . it was in 30 minutes.

And.....my daughter happened to have a very late arrival day...and I had to drive her to school.

She took pity on me and rescheduled me for July . . . 

Did you hear that? That POP sound . . . with all the stress, I think I finally popped a gasket in my brain...

And the beat goes on,

Today, by the time you're reading this, I have been up since o'dark thirty to drive the boy and I back to the Children's hospital for more appointments and some new testing . . . .in matters of the heart, literally.

There is a potential new problem and all I can say is . . . . serenity now!!

As much as I have tried not to let this all get to me, it's gotten to me.

But on the plus side of things I have 14 chrysalis's and counting hanging in my dining room . . . 

and that is exciting stuff people! 

Have a great day, if I don't see you on Thursday I'll see you next week.

I need to find the rest of my marbles and re-attached that darn gasket, haha!

Love, Kim

Xo

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Tuesdays Around the World, Tuesday Muse, Sweet Shot Tuesday