...a lifetime of wonder

We do keep track of our lives by counting the days, weeks, months and years, but maybe keeping tabs on numbers probably is a senseless chore.  My life is a series of events and those events usually encounter people....family....friends.  The true worth of ourselves is the richness given and taken from others.  Some people have very short lives, but contribute an old person's lifetime of wonder, while some people reach the olden years but have nothing  in the cupboard.  Embrace your relationships rather than your possessions, because "things" disappear.  Solid, meaningful and loving relationships tend to last far beyond the grave and it would seem to me a better way to have existed.  Ralphy shown here is "only a dog", but his emotional impact on my family and friends will go on for years to come after he is not with us anymore.  His love is what makes him such a noble individual.  As a person, I hope my impact, like Ralphy's, will be just as meaningful and wonderful.  Don't underestimate  the power of love, whether it is from a person.............or a dog.   Happy New Year.

...Christmas Moments to Cherish

I couldn't imagine Christmas without the cold and snow.  It would be like Abbott without Costello.  Of course Christmas is celebrated all over the world, many of those places without the kind of weather we experience here in Michigan.  Then I begin to realize as I always do this time of year, it is the people we are surrounded by that make the Christmas Holiday so special.  Persons we love...family and friends are the true spirit of Christmas.  We should cherish our times together because time knows no senimentality and leaves our moments behind us.  I have always promised myself to live in those precious moments as best I can and to also remember the feelings of closeness and love I have been able to share with others.  Merry Christmas 2010, from me to you.

...taking it easy

...christmas spirit

Ralphy Snow Dog 2

Animals of YouTube sing "Deck the Halls"

...quit horsing around

LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON MY STREET TODAY..................

Mark Isham feat. Gigi Worth - Love Is Where You Are from O.S.T At First ...

Home Alone - Angels With Filthy Souls (only the clip)

...the wall

...even though you may feel like you hit the wall....don't give up....keep trying and you will make that wall crumple beneath your feet

...the magic of Christmas

Christmas has a way of bringing out the best...and worst in us.    Christmas  is the celebration of the birthday of Christ, but I have come to know it more for a time to show my family, friends and even persons I don't know... the love I have for them.    Sounds awfully corny...silly if you will, but I am glad the Christmas season allows me and others to be more outward in showing feelings of goodness and joy.  Many of us though get caught up in the commercial aspect of Christmas and when that happens, the air in the "joy balloon" pops and drops to the ground in disappointment.  There are so many unfortunate persons in the world who need our compassion and helping hand.  In our own families and community, we know who these persons are.....some out of work trying to make ends meet, others with serious health issues, and there are a lot of lonely and depressed individuals who need us to empathize and show how much we care.  If all we are worried about is the "crazy" aspect of the Christmas season...you know.....rushing at warp speed on the roads to stores trying to buy "happiness", we will realize this is a road not well taken.  Well let me tell you, happiness is free and you can give it to those who lack it.  No gift is more special than the gift of love.  I wish we could just find the strength to realize that this is the only real truth and the only thing really worth its weight in gold.  Tell somebody today you care and you will be a better person for it.  Feuding with someone?  End it by talking over differences and compromising.  You will feel much better and you will also realize how animosity towards one another is a practice in futility and sadness.  Love Christmas because it is this holiday more than any other that will give you the opportunity to change your life and the lives of others.  We only get one go around in this world...don't waste it.

Gene Kelly--Singing in the Rain..............thank you Stacey

Kurt browning doing singing in the rain--thank you Stacey

...Hey look at me !!!

You can see him in earlier blogs, but now Bear is a big boy.  He's smart and gentle.....good combination.

...window shopping

Looking thru the door, Ralphy is studying his world. 

...time to play

Bear on the right is actually much bigger than Ralphy now, but Ralphy being older seems to be able to still hold his own...for now.  They are both friends  (does it look that way?) and  truthfully are just playing.

...pumpkin pie

...singular

...seeing red

burning bush

...being thankful

...pillow talk

...on alert

...heart of autumn

...on this Thanksgiving I am thankful for having such a good family...a wonderful wife. great boys and lots of friends.  Today my thoughts are for a special person afflicted with a serious health issue.  In our lives, life never tells you when it decides to "drop a bomb" on you.  It just happens.  I know this person is strong enough to deal with it, but it still doesn't make it easier.  I am thankful to know this person.  Remember...hope and determination.  Don't give up.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 Being thankful for what we have....I get it.  It is the simple things in life we should never overlook.

Ralphy Fun

Gourd-eous

MJ has this new thing for gourds....I know...what's that about?  Anyway I took a picture of her gourd family and did a little photo shop to get this picture.  Say it....."jim you must be out of your gourd".

 As I have said before.....if you think this picture is interesting and you really want a better view...take the mouse into the photo and click for a larger view.   See ya.

Favorite and Simple

Just click on the photo and you can view it better.  These are just plain and simple photos I have taken.   The forest  was taken in the northern lower peninsula Michigan...Burt Lake.  The Gerber Daisy is really stunning in color and as you can see was on its last legs as it shows the wear and tear of the late summer and early fall.  The burning bush is so rich in red color in the fall and it happens to be something I look forward seeing when October rolls in.  We live in a world of wonder and beauty...all we have to do is look around..........you will find it.






















Burning Bush

Invisible

Maybe it's just the times we live in, blitzed every which way by internet, television and news.  In our busy lives it is nearly impossible to view the ideas of others because we are entrenched in our own world of problems.  What happens, is we as individuals become invisible to everyone in a sense.  I was on FaceBook  the other day and was reading the tiny tidbits of news in other peoples lives and realized most of what is read is ignored.  Everyone seemed to have their own agenda and I could picture others reading and kindly ignoring what was being said.  It is not that we don't care about other persons personal goals and challenges are, but because the internet allows anyone and everyone the opportunity, the information just becomes too much.  Truthfully there are very few of us able to break the "ignore barrier".  I don't include myself as an often listened to individual.  I have come to realize what I care about  and am most passionate about is not what a lot of others find remotely interesting.  I have come to realize it isn't a reason to give up on what you like and what makes you happy.  So in a kind sort of way, I am invisible, but for the few that may read what I have to say, I thank you.

Flower Fun

Just goofing around with some of my favorite pics and turning them into something different. 

Parking Structure Colors

Even the side of a parking structure in the Fall can be quite beautiful.  Click on the photo for a better view.  It's really quite nice.

Recipies from the Past

Have you ever been surprised at the different thoughts that pop into your head for no known reason?  Well, the other day I was working, and the words Jubilee Jumbles just appeared in my thoughts.  Strange.  Jubilee Jumbles are a type of cookie and it was one of my favorites when I was just a boy.  My Mother and Sister made them and I just couldn't get enough of them.  Since thoughts can disappear just as fast as they appear, and since I was near a computer, I quick Googled Jubilee Jumbles and found the recipe from a 1960's Betty Crocker book.  I haven't had this cookie in over 30 years and am anxious to try it out to see if they really were that good.  I bet they are.  Anyway, would somebody please make them and let me know what you think.  By the way my Mother colored the frosting glaze green and she put a small walnut on top of the cookie, glued by the glaze.  It doesn't have that in the recipe, but you have to make them that way.  OK ?   In case you didn't know, all you have to do is click on the recipe and it will be easy to view. 

October Beauty

just brittney

Here is the Brit with a few more pics.

GiGi...a little piece of Love

It isn't a coincidence GiGi is brought up in many a conversation at family gatherings.  Though she has been gone now for more than 20 years, my family memories of her are wonderful and loving.  GiGi truly was a remarkable individual and her life gave my family something special.  She was loyal and obedient and with her playful energy instilled the joy of her life with ours.  The saying about ...you don't know what you had until you lost it...holds so true to all of us as human beings.  It is a trait we all share...a trait I wish I knew how to get rid of.  I do try and appreciate what I have today and who I have as family and friends, but it is difficult...life is difficult.  In the 1970's I was away at college while GiGi stayed at home being as wonderful as she always was.  Too young to miss her...I wish I did.  Too young to appreciate what she brought to my life...I wish I did.  Even when I would be home, I didn't realize how old she was and how precariously near she was to the end of her life's story...I wish I did.   As I was looking at her photos of her last birthday, I welled up with tears of sadness for a long lost, but not forgotten friend.  I just wanted to reach out and hold her one last time to tell her how I loved her and how truly special she was.  Too sentimental...for a dog....?   Twenty, thirty years ago I would answer yes, but today I am grateful to be a bit smarter.  So sentimental?  No, not at all.  GiGi was special and made her mark in life.  She impacted my family with loving thoughts and memories and her life meant something.  GiGi will never be forgotten as long as I am breathing.

Brittney

Brittney came into our lives quite a few years ago and I found this picture buried with all sorts of family photos.  I want her to be part of this blog because she deserves to be known.  Unfortunately, I didn't see the "light" when it came to rearing dogs back then and after a couple years, we ended up giving Brittney to a wonderful family that had other basset hounds.  At the time it was definitely better for her because she was finally getting the attention she deserved.  I regret not loving her the way I should have, and seeing her photo made me feel good and bad at the same time.  Ralphy has shown me how special Brittney was.  I will not forget Brittney......lesson to be learned.  
jim

Unbeaten in 19 races, Zenyatta has - 11.01.10 - SI Vault

Unbeaten in 19 races, Zenyatta has - 11.01.10 - SI Vault the video is below, but read the article first to appreciate what you see

Autumn

These  photos were taken about  a block off of Michigan Ave in Dearborn.  So even if you cannot go up north to see the Fall colors, you really don't have to.  Take a walk thru the neighborhood and you will see plenty of Autumn all around you.  The last photo is a Ginkgo tree in my backyard.  The leaves will end up turning into a brilliant yellow, plus the shape of the leave is really beautiful.            jim

Can't forget about Ralphy

Let Ralphy make you smile today.  Starting a day off with some good "stuff" will usually translate into a day that will be fun and enjoyable.  Don't frown.............let Ralphy make you realize how wonderful your life is.

Happy Halloween..............jim

Autumn in Michigan 2010

Here are just a few more pics showing off the Michigan autumn at its best.  Hope you like them.