A few of my favorite things

I love taking photos.  Some of the shots I end up getting end up making me really happy.  So to facilitate that happiness, I decided to pick some of my favorites and print them as 8x10s (as large as was feasibly manageable).  

I had a really giant bulletin board donated to the cause that can accommodate 28 of these favorite photos.   Some of these you've seen on this blog before.  All plants and water and rocks and skies.  No kittens or mittens or brown paper packages tied up in string (no offense to those who would choose those for their wall of favorites).  

This monstrosity/piece of simple happiness now leans against the wall at the back of my desk.  So as I sit there to analyze data, write manuscripts, edit manuscripts, read manuscripts, I can take a frustration break once in a while and let my gaze wander across my favorite photos.

It's a little like being able to walk from room to room in the more pleasant wings of my brain, looking at these peaceful colors and lines.  I don't have proof, but I would bet that my blood pressure lowers every time I glance up from my work.

As you can see, I have one open spot left to fill.  I'm waiting for the photograph that belongs there.  I don't know from whence it shall come, but I can't wait to get there!

The Name

Life can be demanding. Life can be funny. Life can be maudlin, morose, rich, fleeting, finicky, furry, bouncing, balancing and blustery (all at once). Whatever life is for each of us, we all get to wake up every day and move about (whether literally or figuratively) in this great big, beautiful world. My overarching plan is to enjoy as much of it as possible.

That means looking in the cracks in the sidewalks, looking up at the sky more often than every now and again, listening to the wind (through pines, grass, eaves, car windows), listening to music as if it were a singular activity, stopping to smell a flower... These are the goals of my life: noticing color, taste, sound, smell, touch.

Rachel Carson wrote a book published in 1956 called The Sense of Wonder. In this books she explains the multitude of simple ways she has found to help guide her young nephew, Roger, to a lasting appreciation of the world and its contents. I am of the opinion that this strategy is a good one for each of us. And so I try to appreciate. I want to be one of those people who really knows and experiences things. I want everyone to be one of those people (then maybe we could talk more easily).

So my goal here is to post about the things I see, taste, hear, smell and feel and what these mean to me. Sometimes these will seem to be minutia (but I'm not sure I believe in such a thing), and other times these will seem vague (but I'm not sure I believe in that either). Because I believe that pictures really are worth many, many words, I suspect a lot of these posts will rely heavily on photographic evidence for my claims.

Thank you for following, and please enjoy!