Valentine's Day

St. Valentine’s Day…the day designated for the celebration of love and affection.

As a child, I loved this holiday. I knew that when I got up on Valentine’s Day there would be a red heart shaped box of candy and a card waiting on my breakfast plate; a gift from my father. A lot of people think this was weird, but for me it was special for two reasons. First, it was candy, and I could eat it for breakfast if I wanted to! The ONLY holiday we could do that. We even had to wait till AFTER church to dig into our Easter baskets and if you know anything about being Catholic, you know how lllloooonnnngggg Easter services can be. They blessed everything from the rafters to the foundation and every pew, hymnal and statue of Mary in between. The second reason I loved Valentine's Day was because this is the only gift Dad gave us all year that was specifically from him. He left all the other holiday stuff to Mom. So, I think this was probably Dad’s favorite holiday.  He always got Mom a really big heart and a card thatgot kept and not thrown away!

It was also a fun time during elementary school. I remember getting a paper bag and we had to put our name on it and we could decorate it however we liked. This was our “official” Valentine’s Day mailbox. Anytime we got to cut, paste and color was a happy day for me. I learned early on that cutting a heart shape into the front of the bag created a serious design flaw-one that allowed all your Valentine’s to fall out! My project management style has not changed much since those days-do first; alter later. And yes, for all you left brainers-I know it is better to spend a little time planning, but I can tell you from experience-it’s not near as fun!! And if memory serves, I think I punched the boy who made fun of my faulty mailbox in first grade. Guess my temper has not changed much either!  I don't think I got a Valentine from him either! 

As an adult, my passion for it has definitely waned. I think it is because the minute the stores are finished with Christmas they start pushing Valentine’s Day stuff. It used to be just candy and cards, now it’s just a bunch of “stuff” with candy and the cards bringing up the rear. And my favorite retailer (NOT) whose name I refuse to mention even had the audacity to put Easter candy right next to the Valentine candy. Really? You couldn’t wait two measly weeks to put the Easter candy out?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

I decided to try and get a little bit more enthusiastic this year and make a photo assignment about Valentine’s day. I took pictures of the obvious-those cut out red hearts and glittery ornaments. They do make a nice contrast to an otherwise dreary mid-winter window display. I also wanted to incorporate images of hearts that nature provided and that I have been lucky enough to find this past year. I find that when I look for them-they are illusive, but like most of those great "ah-ha!" photos, you find them when you least expect it.

So this Valentine's Day I will carry on my Father's tradition. Everyone in the "penthouse" at work will be getting a little surprise goody bag to celebrate Valentine's Day. Look at this way- any holiday that is celebrated with giving people candy, can't be all bad, right?!

Yay! It's a brand spankin' New Year!!

Another year has come and gone.  And like most years there are good things and bad things; regardless it’s all part of the grand scheme of things.  My hairdresser asked me if I had made any New Year resolutions and I admitted that I did not.  I think I’ve pretty much given up on that notion.  I told her that I’ve worked for the State long enough that I now think in fiscal year instead of calendar year.  I think she will be bugging me in July to see if I’ve made any resolutions for the upcoming fiscal year.  ‘Fraid not!  Every day is a new day that gives you the opportunity to do the right thing and be the best you can be.



Reedy Point Bridge, near Delaware City



 

 

 



The coolest thing about this picture is not the house...



One thing I will definitely work on this year, whether fiscal or calendar year is my pursuit to be a better photographer. There is a really nice website called Digital Photography School that I learned about on facebook and because I “friended” them, I get frequent updates on new techniques and ideas. It’s just that nudge I need to sometimes get out of a rut and maybe look at things from a different angle. One area I need to get a handle on is managing the umpty ump photos I have taken in the last 2 years. My external hard drive is starting to choke so I think I better do some housekeeping. I’m praying for a couple of snow days that will force me inside to make that odious task happen!

Many people think that there is nothing worth taking pictures of this time of year.  To me, there is never a bad time to take a picture!  I am learning to keep that camera with me ‘cause you never know what you may come across or when there is going to be a spectacular sunset.  Just last week I was returning from a “hen” party and had to take a picture of a business for my friend’s retirement party.  I decided to take the long way home and was delighted to find a field chok-a-blok full of boisterous snow geese just ripping it up and doing what snow geese do…in this case a lot of honking, fighting, eating and pooping!  It was a spectacular site to see such a huge amount of them rummaging through the remnants of a cornfield on a back road not far from the house.  They were quite close to the edge of the road and were not very intimidated by me or my camera.  They did scoot away from the edge when a car came by, but they quickly returned to their raucous mission of feasting.  A portion of the group would fly up and quickly settle a few more feet into the field; they created their own little windstorm with the flapping of their wings and I found myself picking a few downy feathers out of my hair later.  I am grateful it was only feathers….  They made an awesome display of migrating wildfowl against a very cool January evening.  I feel my pictures failed to capture their wild beauty but the pictures in my memory are perfect! 

 

I’m not sure where my next “off season” photo shoot will be.  My photo buddy is hoping for some frigid weather so that we can go shoot pictures of ice.  Given my knack of mishaps when out in the field, I’m sure he will be asking for insurance and next of kin information before we venture out again.  Whoever said, the journey is part of the adventure wasn’t lying!  We may not have gotten the greatest shots on these outings but we sure won’t forget me tripping over my own feet and sliding down hills on my keester!  And strangely we continue to go on these outings…Perhaps I should start charging for entertainment!