Food Photos...by kim

I love food and I really enjoy taking photos of what I'm about to eat or making. It helps me to remember what I may have eaten and where.

Also, I'm afraid, as I get older, that I'll forget the foods I have eaten. And since food is so essential to my life, well, I'd rather not forget if I can help it.

Michael thinks it funny to photograph our dishes but he puts up with my antics.

Lucky for me!

The Faces Of Children...

Aaahh, there is nothing like a face of a child to make my heart melt, put a smile on my face and lift my spirits.

I thank god for the life of children of all ages. I am in awe of them when I watch how they explore the world, explore their own environment, taste, see, squeal, talk, laugh, take for granted every little thing, learn, grow, and set out on their own.

The human life is truly a miracle. But even more so when we are able to observe the human progression from infant to old age. And better understand what makes us tick, how we are all impressionable at various ages, how we struggle for autonomy and then back to wanting support.

I love to hear the stories of people and where they came from, where did their choices take them, and how they felt at those various stages in life. I also love to hear their hearts when trying to make life decisions or strive to understand their process as they struggle to make life decisions. I am amazed how and what we all go through to make simple decision let alone huge, huge decisions. And what will then come from those decisions. I love to hear old stories of people's families, their grandparents, their parents, siblings and what they thought were the most interesting parts of their own lives. I think it is wonderful how every one has a story of their own. It is unique, it is definitely personal, and yet at some point is a treat to hear about.

I can not wait to see these amazing and beautiful kids in person and watch what god does with each of them in their lives.

Each smile makes me want to smother them with kisses, kindness and love.

These faces and so many more tug at my heart strings and help remind me what my purpose in life is. To help these children and many more have a better life by getting my hands dirty along side them.

I dream of children almost nightly. I dream about a life of goodness and prosperity for each and every child I have laid eyes on, and for those I have yet to see.

I pray often for a child or two or more to not give up on life, so they can know there is more to life than what they are experiencing.

The faces and lives of these children are priceless.

And I Wonder...

There are so many people that I know who are depressed or struggle with depression.

I am one of those persons who has had to get on a mild anti-depressant in order to help correct my brain chemistry. I must say, the medication is helping greatly in this area as well as with my migraines that I also struggle with. So, I have been able to kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

I am one of those who always felt (and been told) that one was weak if one had to go on meds for psycho stuff. I was always afraid to believe that I was not a strong person and that I could be thought of as crazy. Unfortunately, it is a universal stigma, but it has begun to be less of one as the years go by and more and more folks are struggling with brain diseases.

Mental illness is a rampant evil among the homeless. And what a horrible disease for them it is. There is just not enough funding to help the homeless, to help the parents of a teen or to help a family with a parent afflicted with mental illness.

Unfortunately, it would take some one, in a higher government position, who has a family member, who has mental illness, before any attention or money would be affective with the growing rate of psychological and psychotic illnesses.

It is always the children, the poor, the ill, the old who suffer the most in the world because they are the most vulnerable and the least able to fight for themselves.

What the hell is matter with our country, our pharmaceutical companies, our well-to-do neighbors and government-held seatings that are not doing all that they can for the most vulnerable? Unfortunately, it won't ever be high on any agenda, as long as those in power whose family members or themselves are not vulnerable and/or in need of such assistance by their own government.

And I wonder... What will I do to help make a difference in this arena?

People's Lives...

I've been looking forward to the holidays on one hand, yet dreading it on the other.

The holidays are my most favorite time of year. Actually, Winter is my most favorite time of year. I just love the quietness of the world, the nakedness of the trees, the sound of all that rain, the cold, cold air and bundling up with blankets and a good book.

But this holiday season there is a burden of helplessness that I have been having since the Hurricanes, the unnecessary and ongoing war that we are still a part of and the continued realization of so many who go without every day.

But this season brings up the close to home thing - those who have suffered due to Katrina and Wilma and they are mostly those who have little or no money or possessions.

I pray that these families will be able to find some joy and peace in their lives as they continue to struggle to return to the normality of their lives, and get through this holiday season. I pray that money, materials, jobs and resources continue to come their way in order to find a way to return to some sense of normalcy. And that many are able to find a place to celebrate the holidays with other folks or families, and hope that they are glad to be alive.

I just wish I had gads of money that I would not have to worry how much I spent on those who need it. I so wish I could be the fairy god-mother who waves her wand and all the things, the resources, the food, the medication, the housing, the toys, the shelter these folks could ever need would be given unto them freely.

I wish I could be the one who would stop the war right now and let all the men and women soldiers return to their respective homeland and just be with family and friends. Perhaps to celebrate whatever could be worth celebrating after seeing so much death and destruction.

It is people's lives that I hold so compassionately within me. It is people's lives whom I know nothing of them. It is people's lives that show me how I am truly fortunate in so many, many ways.

It is people's lives who are caught between countries at war and an earthquake aftermath in which they must sustain a harsh upcoming winter.

It is people's lives we must never forget and take for granted the things that we are given and the lives that we are so fortunate to lead.

The holidays are always about giving... Remembering others in need... Sharing what one has oodles of... And trying not to feel guilty for what we do have.

But ultimately, we must understand and place ourselves in the shoes of others so that we may be able to live humbly and without ignorance.

How Lucky Are We...

I know I have nothing to complain about in life. Though I know there are days that I find fault in something and wonder why. And then I snap out of it and laugh at my own absurdity!

But then I am always reminded of how fortunate, lucky and wealthy Michael and I are in comparison to so many who strive just to make it through one day, and the next and the next.

One of the American Dream is to own one's home. Which is a homestead, piece of land with a building in place, an abode, a castle, the dream home, the place where one sets roots and traditions, etc.

For many in the American Dream, we are able to 'shop' for this new place we will call home. But in our case, that did not happen and I suppose, in my own selfish ways, wish that is the one thing we had been able to do. But it didn't and I should just shush about it all righty!

We were very fortunate to have been able to rent the home, we now own, two years prior to finally being able to purchase it from the brother and sister who owned it.
The mind set of renting and owning are just so different. When the paperwork went through that said we were now proud owners of 1079 Sierra Vista Way, all I could think of was this is going to be a money pit and we didn't get to go shopping...wah, wah, wah...

It's been over a year since we've owned it and all the money in the world to call it our own. But when you look at the various properties for sale, the price of homes, and the little land included, I have nothing to complain about.

We sit on a third of an acre, albeit next to Hwy 99, but are only three blocks from Bidwell Park at One Mile, and near downtown and the freeway. So, it's all good.

And indeed it is. We are currently in the process of refinancing so that we can pay off debt and have some things done to the house like new windows and hopefully a real A/C system. Obviously it will add to the value of the home if/when we should ever try to sell it.

So far the house has gone up in value quite a bit. We paid 259.5 and it is valued at 320. So the math is good. Hopefully when we decide to sell, the market will still be good and the house will be worth soooo much more. But one never knows...

And the other thing we are in the early stages of choosing paint colors for the living room, looking to put crown molding on the wall and possibly encase the fireplace. So far this is the only room we are revamping at this time. I hope to do more soon after the living room is done.

So all in all there is definitely nothing to complain about but life just wouldn't be interesting enough if I didn't complain a little bit, right?!

So when the living room gets done, I will be sure to have photos posted.

I'm A Little Bummed...photos by kim

I have one photo in the digital camera that apparently has an error. It was a photo of a shadowed bicycle. I'm bummed. It looked like it turned out fine on the camera but when I went to download it it gave me an error and would not load it. I wonder how I can get it out of the camera. I guess I'll have to ask my techie hubby, Michael. Hopefully he will know how. He usually does...

And then there are those photos that you wished had turned out better than you had envisioned. But it didn't and one just has to say, "Oh well!". Better luck next time...

Different Eyes...photos by kim

I just love how everyone has a different eye for photography. There are so many talented photographers out there showing their stuff online and at craft fairs that it's a bit scary to me to even put out my photos for folks to peruse, let alone buy from me. Yikes!!

Our friend Don found a site online, http://photo.net/, that allows for photographers to show their works as well as be critiqued. I look at some of those photos and say, "No way, Jose!" Although I realize it would be a great experience to have others critique, particularly those who are more experienced and professionals, to look at your body of work and help you(me) to do better each time I take a new batch of photos.

So, I'm thinking about putting in a few photos just to see how I do.

It should be interesting.

I really look forward to our trips to Kenya and Vietnam so that I can take photos of these amazing places and people. So, hopefully by that time I will have vastly improved in my technique and eye for the unusual.

Thank Goodness For The Four Seasons...photos by kim

Though I would like to be living in Portland, Oregon or in Washington State, there is something about the seasons in Chico. We usually get all four of them and are typically able to enjoy all four of the seasons each year. But like anything, there may be changes in the weather pattern so some years we may skip Spring altogether and rush right in to Summer, which sucks. Or we may have a mild Winter and a long Spring. One just never knows. But typically we are fortunate to at least have a taste of all four seasons.

And since digital cameras are all the rage, and downloading them is immediate, it's silly not to be using it and enjoying what we do have in Chico. It's always easier to stay cooped up in one's house but then we can miss a lot of nature's floral and fauna that is contained in just Chico alone.

So, as you can see I am enjoying today's latest technology, as well as enjoying yet again a season of Chico.

So Much...photos by kim

I was only at One Mile the entire time I was shooting photos. There was so much to shoot in just that part of the park alone. I barely covered maybe a sixteenth of Bidwell Park!

Which is so amazing to think about how much land was held as open space for folks from all over to enjoy. And I am one of the lucky ones. I look forward to tracking other parts of the park and seeing what kind of goodies that I will see through the view finder.

There is so much out there to see that I often wonder what it would be like to be blind. I know Helen Keller and many more lived and continue to live such amazing and productive lives. But I wonder some times if I would be able recall such beauty before having gone blind. It seems like I would but then other senses would be highly enhanced due to the loss of one of the senses. So I wonder how I would do. Just a thought...