Snapshot Gratitude

December 31

Buffy — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:39:00 +0000

I started out the year being grateful for a Gingerbread House, and it seems only fitting that I end the year similarly. Add to that that this one was the very last one in the store and Hart had to wrestle it away from a nice lady in order to bring it home to me and you can see that serendipity was hard at work in the Clearance Bin of Smiths Marketplace.

I'm grateful to be done with this project, but I also know I'll miss it. Last January I wrote, "taking a gratitude accounting has been known to ease the blues... perhaps it will work magic on more than just me." I've been blessed to know that it has entertained, helped and sometimes even inspired a few people out there in that big old world. I'm grateful to know that.

I'm grateful for the whole huge learning experience this blog provided. I can finally talk f-stops and shutter speeds and know what I'm saying. Although this will be the last entry in this blog, Snapshot Gratitude Rejects will still stick around (though the name may be changing and I might take a day off here and there). I've had such a grand time learning photography this past year that I couldn't just abandon it, even if that stained glass class is hollering my name ever so loudly.

Last of all, I'm grateful for all the people who click on my links, read my words, look at my snapshots. I especially loved it when I'd get a comment or a sweet email. Thank you all, so very much!

December 30

Buffy — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:36:00 +0000

I'm grateful the finches have found the feeder. Washing dishes has become a teeny bit more enjoyable with their addition to the view.

December 29

Buffy — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 02:08:00 +0000

I'm grateful for slumber parties with friends. Not only did this one net me the chance to catch up with Emily's wonderful son, Sam, but I was also the responsible wallet and got to accompany them to a matinee-showing of "Night at the Museum," a very funny flick.

December 28

Buffy — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:27:00 +0000

I'm grateful for this little once-white piece of cleaning technology. Before trying it, I was cursing the day I had purchased a gas range with a white finish. Finally, a cleaning product that does what it advertises!

December 27

Buffy — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 23:04:00 +0000

We have a grocery store chain, Maceys, whose branding strategy consists of flying a gigantic American flag, come rain or shine. Our Maceys happens to be moving into a brand new building over the New Years weekend and the flag was pulled down to today in anticipation of that move.

Unfortunately, all did not go as smoothly as hoped and the flag was caught on a neighboring lightpole.

I'm grateful Hart just happened to be shopping as this whole scene unfurled. I was able to drop everything and run to the parking lot just in time to witness the local fire department pull out the big ladder truck and save the flag.

December 26

Buffy — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 02:54:00 +0000

I'm grateful Santa brought Lilu a stuffed hippo that squeaks. She's having a grand old showering it with her love.

December 25

Buffy — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 02:13:00 +0000

I'm grateful for any opportunity, but especially the Christmas one, where our family can gather around the table and share a good meal salted with Patrick's stories.

December 24

Buffy — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 23:37:00 +0000

I'm grateful my children are finally old enough to offer real assistance in the Christmas Eve traditional folding of farolitos. I wouldn't have been able to get through all 100 of them without Miss Ruthie's stellar help!

December 23

Buffy — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 03:14:00 +0000

I'm grateful to be on the nice list of my neighbor, Martha. She makes these incredible rolled cakes with a cream cheese filling and pecans on the outside and I look forward to one every Christmas. Thank you for sharing your wonderful culinary gift, Martha!

December 22

Buffy — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 05:33:00 +0000

I'm grateful for the company of friends on Solstice night.

December 21

Buffy — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 05:39:00 +0000

Very, very, very early this morning, I was wakened by my young daughter, "Mommy, can I snuggle with you?"

I flipped back the comforter to let her in, asking, "What's wrong, sweetie-pie?"

"I had a bad dream about ghosts," she answered as she spooned her body against mine.

When I was child, I used to have nightmares that drove me to my mother's bed and I remember vividly how brave I had to be to get up the stairs to her bedroom. I wondered if Ruthie's ghosts haunted our stairwell the same way snakes had haunted mine.

I'm grateful my mom never told me to go back to my own bed. She always pulled the covers back for me and always soothed those snakes away. Although it would make sense that this would be picture of my mom, I had to make do with illustrating the warm fuzzies she gave, and still gives, to me (and, yes, my warm fuzzies are pink).

December 20

Buffy — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 02:33:00 +0000

I'm grateful to be finished with the work day and following Tink's lead in escaping outta here. Maybe I'll get some shopping done finally.

December 19

Buffy — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 05:03:00 +0000

I'm grateful I managed to get the tree up this past weekend. Even if I haven't even started my shopping, at least I've done something Christmas-y.

December 18

Buffy — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 04:57:00 +0000

I'm grateful I found my phone just in time to have missed eight, count 'em, eight phone calls from work people.

At least I found it before the deadline the calls were so desperately trying to alert me to. (And as an aside to Verizon, I'd consider it a much more "smart" phone if I could turn it into a beat-the-drums-very-loudly sound mode just by dialing a special phone number)

December 17

Buffy — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0000

I'm grateful that this year I was able to be an audience member at the Christmas Pageant instead of the accompanist. The view was marvelous and the kids did an outstanding job.

December 16

Buffy — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:09:00 +0000

I was able to resume my decorating after a quick trip to the store and as I was torso-deep in the center of the tree, wrapping light strands around unwieldy branches, I noticed a tuft of Earl hair caught in the needles.

I'm grateful the tree stand is sturdy enough to handle a six foot tree and a 15-pound bad cat.

December 15

Buffy — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:33:00 +0000

Work christmas parties have always included the tradition of white elephant gifting and ever since our kids have been old enough to understand the concept of presents, they've been ardent supporters of the game. This year the coveted giftie was a gigantic blue-wrapped wonder, similar in shape to a giant magnum of champagne. Well, the adults thought so, anyway.

Turns out the package contained 38,000 calories of day-glow orange cheezie puffs. I'm grateful it went home with somebody else's child.

December 14

Buffy — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:41:00 +0000

I'm grateful for the smell of pine trees in my living room. And I think ours is particularly lovely this year, even if it was hit with a case of decoratus interruptus because of non-functioning light strands.

December 13

Buffy — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 03:29:00 +0000

I'm grateful for evening drives spent just checking out the Christmas lights.

December 12

Buffy — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:00:00 +0000

I walked into my office on a dreary Monday morning to find Christmas lights shining, red ornaments hung from my shelves and paper snowflakes gracing my windows. I can't even begin to relay how high my spirits lifted at that sight. I'm grateful to my coworkers in the lab for this extra special gift, and especially for the snowflake creating talents of 8-year old Emily. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

December 11

Buffy — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 21:38:00 +0000

Eleven years ago, I was standing in a Christmas tree lot, mulling over the finer points of several different evergreens as I tried to decide which would grace our front room for the season. Then the first real labor pain hit me and the mulling was over. "I'll take that one!" I hollered, pointing wildly at the nearest green blur.

I'm grateful Luke arrived as an early Christmas present that year. You are so special to me, son, and I love you very much. Happy Birthday!

December 10

Buffy — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 02:03:00 +0000

I'm grateful the Community Christmas Benefit Concert was successful in not only the performances (some incredibly talented individuals and ensembles from many different faiths filled the Logan Tabernacle with their sound) but also in the amount of food gathered for the Cache Food Pantry.

December 9

Buffy — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 00:18:00 +0000

When I saw the sun streaming through the clouds, I pulled over to capture a shot illustrating my gratitude at finally coming home after an afternoon full of errands among holiday season crowds. I hate crowds. And I'm not particularly fond of shopping. I am grateful for that winter sunlight. It was a lovely coming home gift after braving both.

I'm also grateful for the unintended lesson in lens flare that I googled after downloading (look carefully at the bottom middle for the tell-tale rainbow).

December 8

Buffy — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 03:36:00 +0000

I'm grateful for real live page turners. The alternative is taping together all of your pages and although it looks like it works, it really doesn't unless you have eyes like an eagle.

December 7

Buffy — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 02:03:00 +0000

(I must remember not to show the children this particular gratitude.)

Our TV unfortunately shares the same space as my piano. This isn't usually a problem, unless I'm trying to prepare for some performance. My preferred mode of practice is to grab 10 or 15 minutes here and there throughout the morning and evening, rather than sitting down and practicing for an hour or two straight through. But because of the TV location, this can require a bit more planning so as not to interfere with Sponge Bob Squarepants.

But this week, TV viewing privileges required not only the usual completed homework, but the added demand of a clean room. Oh my, the nightly moaning and gnashing of teeth has probably been heard two blocks away. You'd think I was asking for the Holy Grail or something similar.

I'm grateful that even after a week of parental-enforced TV blackout, they STILL haven't cleaned their rooms. I've really enjoyed my practice time uninterrupted by Squidward's nasal harangue of "Spongebob!"