Day 65 - Monday March 5, 2012

I sit on the couch and Sphinx wouldn't come sit on my lap.  Any other time he is there whether I wanted or not.  I'd washed the sheets in the spare room and when I went to make the bed, guess who would not leave me alone!

Day 64 - Sunday March 4, 2012

Today the snow fell in huge flakes.  These kind of flakes don't come along that frequently but as has been the case lately and this winter for sure, it's too warm for you to take a picture against something.  They melt very quickly.  Never the less, I tried repeatedly and this unfortunately is the best picture of the 15 minutes and many frames!

Day 62 - March 2, 2012

Snowfall.  Heavy fast falling flakes on a warm day.  The air was murky from the white of the snow but the streets were warm enough to melt it instantly.

Day 32 - Wednesday February 1, 2012

MP and 30 minutes walking

We were able to get my friends other cat.  She is hiding under the bed but so did Sphynx for a week.    This little girl however seems right at home! 

Day 28- Saturday January 28, 2012

A very sad day.  My good friends funeral.  Very hard to fathom.  A cold brisk wind but overall a nice sunny day.  Caught these birds when we stopped for gas.  Very unusually warm weather we are having.

Day 24- Tuesday January 24, 2012

Morning pages done
Walk 30 minutes+
Creativity

This is a photo of Gray's Lake at sunset.  It's one of my absolute favorite places in Des Moines.  What I like about our office moving back downtown is how close I am to Gray's Lake and dropping by is easy.  Peaceful solo walks, biking, vigorous run/walks or just picture taking can all be done and it's right on the edge of the heart of Des Moines. 

Day 23- Monday January 23, 2012

Morning pages done
30 minutes of walking
Creativity-
Sphinx, Mr Personality, is such a quirky fellow.  He's got this OCD that while endearing is occasionally annoying.  He will go to bathroom cabinet doors and open them repeatedly.  He's fed first thing and follows me down to clean his litter box and feed the fix.  Each time we do it in the same order or he gets upset- howling, almost growling, pacing, and pawing.  I told my friend when we went on vacation that she might not see him.  Oh no, had to make a liar of me.  He climbed in her lap, flipped on his back and snored for her for hours.  His current habit is sleeping in my shoes.  Looks very uncomfortable, doesn't it?  No matter.  Sphinx will do what he wants and his humans will be happy.

Day 22 - Sunday January 22, 2012

Planned no morning pages
30 min walking
Creativity-
One of my best friends is in hospice care.  I saw her on Thursday and we laughed, talked and reminiced for nearly an hour.  When I noticed her eyes getting heavy post dinner, we bid her good night so she can get the rest she needed.  Her family has given information to the extent the cancer was taking over but these glimpses don't show it.  Kit has always been good at seeing the best and perhaps that is what drew us together.  Life to us seemed much simpler being grateful for what you had and volunteering for many things which really demonstrated how much we had.  I do not know how many Ronald McDonald house things we have done together- crew for races, running races, baking cookies, making meals, stocking pantries.  How many thousand boxes of shirts have we unloaded for Race for the Cure.  How many movies, dinners, and laughs were there?  I'm grateful there were so many but I'm selfish and don't want to let her go either.  I found out from friends that her family has posted on facebook that she became unresponsive Friday and requesting no more friends visit.  How did this happen so fast?  Did I just not want to see it?  My photo for this journaling is a visit to Tokyo Steakhouse with a couple other friends.  Having been free of the tumors in her lungs for a couple years and just embarking on the journey to rid her of a brain tumor.  I love this photo because it shows her the way she was.  Laughing and enjoying the moment no matter what!

Using The Pinhole retro camera app on my cell phone.  Black and white

Day 21- Saturday January 21, 2012

Planned no morning pages
walked and chased little boys
Creativity- We spent a lovely day at the Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge.  Information about it can be found here;
http://www.tallgrass.org/

Here is one of the pictures I took of Elk and a Bison.

Day 20- January 20, 2012

Morning pages done
30 minutes done
Creativity

Sphinx turned out to be somewhat picky on certain things.  I caught him using the toilet for a drinking fountain.  I began changing the water more frequently to no avail.  I added ice cubes but that didn't help either.  I filled my side of the sink but that too didn't help.  Yes we shut the lid but he wasn't drinking anything and that worried me so I got a dish with a carbon filter and a frog that circulated fresh water out continually. It didn't matter because he had no interest.  Cat's I've been told are the royalty of the animal kingdom and I'm convinced that is true.  When I stopped trying to make him drink elsewhere, he did so on his on good time.  Where does he drink now?  Look for yourself.

Day 19 - January 19, 2012

Morning Pages done
30 min walking
Creativity-

I think my entire life I've had pets.  At least until 2007.   I liked being unencumbered, not responsible for arranging care if I took off the spur of the moment and able to do what I wanted with the time and money I might have spent.  Eventually though the old yearnings returned and while hubby didn't want a pet, it was okay if I took care of it.  Cat's to me where the most flexible and I'd always loved calico's.  I didn't want a kitten but an adult.  One that was okay alone.  This all sounds so simple right but it was surprisingly hard.  Then I found from a co-worker her sons karate teacher needed to find a home for theirs.  He'd adopted him as a kitten and all was fine till the second child was born with allergies and Sphinx was showing signs of stress too (although we didn't put this together till later).  He's not a calico although he's probably got all the calico colors just in a strippy tabby fashion with dark lines like the Sphinx on his face.  He was a cat that liked space, slow to warm to strangers but he was so absolutely perfect.  He did hide a bit for a few days but this photo was the moment I knew the old, round cat was completely content with his adoptive old, round humans.

Day 18- January 18, 2012

Morning pages done
Walk 40 minutes

Creativity- Remember the sunset I took on January 1.  We'd been having unusually warm weather (still really) but it was the first near unbearable cold day we had.  My face was completely numb from that walk!  We got a bit of snow yesterday and it's pretty much to cold to melt.  Tomorrow even colder today near 30 but felt like 19 with the wind.  Tomorrow is projected 8 degrees.  No idea what the real feel temp might be but it's COLD.  A couple of fronts may bring in snow.  Originally we heard Friday but now it's possible to get some overnight.  For today, the slightly snowy view repeated

Day 11- January 11,2012

Morning pages
30 minutes walking plus boxing up my work desk and moving boxes
Today's photo on the way to work.   In the center you can see the moon or the reflection thereof.

Still amazing Iowa weather for January but tonight some snow, very cold, very windy.  It may be winter after all.

Day 8 January 8, 2012

Planned no morning pages

Long run of 6.55 miles from Pete Crivaro Park, by Principal Park, to Gray's Lake and back exploring the trail system.  Here is a picture of the pedestrian bridge I crossed.  It's not as clear on here as on my phone but you can see the bridge.  Including a 2nd one that was clearer but I wasn't as fond of the content.

Day 7- January 7,2012

No morning pages- planned skip weekend since we have grandkids with us.
couple hours mall walk for my exercise
creative item.......picture of my baby Sphinx.  He has this to that looks like a small rabbit and you fill it with catnip.  It is so close to his coloring!  He had it and his bird that tweets and was entertaining the grandkids.  That's unusual because he's a shy boy and really prefers just quiet adults.  One picture has a set of golden eyes that made me laugh so I included it.

I also just realized I've recorded my creative stuff backwards.  This was Day 6, Day 7 was Island Photo contest picture reviews.

Day 6 January 6, 2012

Morning pages done
cross train 30 stairs and lifting
My granddaughter was doing a fundraiser and I ordered a couple magazines from her.  One is called Islands.  The magazine had info on a photo contest. 

http://www.islands.com/photo-contest/2012/photos/all/131222

I'm having some trouble getting the rules to show for me.  Often you can't have posted a picture before so I won't post anything for my day 6 creative item but I did go through some and have decided what makes my top 10 list.  I also watched their video with tips and looked over the 2011 contest photos and winners.  Look it up and submit a picture!

Day 5- January 5,2012

morning pages done
44 minutes around the work neighborhood for almost 3 miles
It was a gorgeous day.  Who would believe 65 degrees in Iowa on January 5.  This year we have had one small snow that was gone by noon.  A dusting really.  We have had some cold spell but overall it's been fall like.  Not as much rain as now, not as much cold as winter yet the leaves have all turned and most trees bare like the end of fall.  That is the greatest hint of winter.  My phone has an app to follow my route and time which I was using on my lunch intervals since I seem to have misplaced or lost my Garmin.  Since I had my phone, I thought I should get a picture of the unusual day!

Day 3 - January 3,2012

Morning pages done
44 minutes on the trail

3 pictures for today
I had to go out late to get my exercise.  I spent the afternoon with a dear friend in the hospital so I just ran out of time.  The first is the moon, the next a closer view and the last the view from the trail across the Des Moines River looking at the Southside city lights. 

This hasn't started off as well as I'd hoped but that is life. 

Last night while researching getting Polaroid film for our trip to our companion church in Tanzania, I didn't find the film I could afford.  I'll try a local photo shop and see if he can clarify my options on the Polaroid- that should make a nice Artist Date.  Additionally I ran into the Impossible Project site which has the film but at a cost greater than our church can afford. 

I read "The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond and became fascinated with the Holga camera.  I also found Holga camera's and film and another type there.  I didn't save a link and tonight can't find in on the impossible project site.  Now I really wish I had purchased last night but I'll watch for this.  Perhaps a 2nd Artist Date.

Tonight's foray in night photo's also gave the idea to do some research on photo's at night via my cell.

Whether I planned it this way or not, it's been a pretty imformative first 3 days.

Day 2 -Monday January 2, 2012

Morning Pages done
30 min exercise done
chores done

Here is my 365 photo of the day.  This handsome old man is Sphinx.  The picture was taken via android cell phone with Retro Camera Plus using pinhOle camera.  I'm more than a little fascinated with these camera settings.  I have an interest in finding old camera's like these but suppose getting and developing film might be an issue?   I also wondered about editing software for my Nikon.

Day 1 - January 1,2012

My goals for the year-
365 Be Creative
365 Days with a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity
313 Days of doing Morning Pages
52 Weekly solo Walks/Walking Kindness Meditations
52 Artist Dates
12 months scrapbooked (get current then work on the stuff that is behind)
2 planned breaks, vacations, or staycations
2 half marathons
1 personal retreat

This will be my day one photo.  I only had my cell phone so the picture isn't as good.  We've had almost no snow in Iowa and it's unusually warm.  Today, however, it's very cold and very windy.  I did my 30 minutes of physical activity and and captured this unusual sky.