Me, The Morning Star & The Muse Of Practicality

July 25, 2013July 25, 2013 / Ally Bean / 12 Comments

“Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.”

~ Henry David Thoreau, the end of Walden Pond

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The other morning I woke up at 5:30 a.m. This is much too early by my standards, but there I was AWAKE, not worrying about a thing. So I got up, made a pot of coffee, poured myself a mug, grabbed my camera and went out on the deck to sit, waiting for the sun to come up.

It didn’t take long for the first rays of sunlight to sneak across the lawn heading for the wooded ravine behind our home.

Nor did it take long for me to become bewitched by the path of the glittery sunlight, following it with my camera into the darkest parts of the woods.

At this point I’d love to tell you that my early morning photo shoot was some sort of transcendental awakening. That the course of my life was permanently altered because of my experience watching the morning light illuminate the woods.

But there wasn’t anything spiritual about my early morning on the deck. It was all very practical. A way for me to learn about using my camera in various light. And the opportunity to ponder why it is that I can remember the last line of Walden Pond– but, for the life of me, can’t think of the first one!

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A Few Thoughts Plus A Few Photos Doth A Blog Post Make

July 18, 2013August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 16 Comments

I REMEMBER YEARS AGO when I started blogging someone said to me that he didn’t like blogs because all people did was take photos of things in their homes and talk about them. He found this boring and pointless and stupid. Even though I thought that he was wrong, I shrugged it off without a comment.

His point of view seemed uninformed and mean-spirited to me.

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THEN A FEW YEARS AGO when I was in a blogging slump someone suggested to me that I take some photos of the stuff in my house and share them. Again, I was back in a conversation about photos in a blog, although this time the conversation was helpful, not hurtful.

This woman suggested that when you’re at home you are who you are. Unvarnished. Authentic. Free to do what you want to do with the space that you have. So why not start there in your home, and write about it or whatever it brings to mind?

Her point of view seemed practical and kind-hearted to me.

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SO IT IS AT THIS POINT that I find myself today. I have the photos. I have knowledge necessary to post them. I have nothing profound to say about each photo, nor do I have a cohesive theme to this post that makes them noteworthy.

But I believe that when you commit to being a personal blogger sometimes showing up and posting something is what needs to be done. This means that if sharing three photos from the last few weeks is what keeps this blog keeping on– then so be it.

And that, my friends, is all I have for you today.

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In Which I Play Well With Others & Create A List Of What I Learned Last Month

July 2, 2013July 2, 2013 / Ally Bean / 27 Comments

Relyn at Come Sit by My Fire is doing this:

“On the last day of each month I plan to post a list of things I learned paired [with] my own favorite photo from that month…. I hope you’ll play along.”

I’ve decided to play along this month. Here’s my What I Learned In June list.

~ • ~

• Hanging pictures is my kryptonite. I use the 60″ rule as a guideline, but it doesn’t always hold true when working with an eclectic collection of art. I love having artwork on the walls, but admit that the process of getting it there makes me cross-eyed and anxious.

• Being stuck inside because of wet Summer weather is every bit as annoying as being stuck inside because of wet Spring weather. You’d think that just because it was Summer, it’d be better; but it’s not. Stuck is stuck. And I’m tired of it. Where are my weeks of sunshine?

• 52 Acts is a project based on the idea that: “one small act of kindness can change a life forever.” Cheri at Naples Girl Blog sent me a 52 Acts bracelet + booklet. Cool, huh? Now that I know about 52 Acts, I’m happy to be a part of it. Thanks, Cheri.

• When putting a casserole dish with a Pyrex glass lid on top of it into the microwave, it is easy to knock the lid off the casserole dish causing the lid to bounce off the granite counter and onto the kitchen floor. This creates a five foot radius of broken glass and shards, leading me to ponder the wisdom of cooking in bare feet.

• Planning a vacation seems like a good idea until you actually begin to price it. Then visiting the local zoo, followed by an afternoon at a German brew house, suddenly sounds like a grand idea. An adventure. Something with the exotic elements of a vacation, but without the inconvenience and cost.

Not Lonely, Not Bored

June 10, 2013June 10, 2013 / Ally Bean / 24 Comments

The Forest Primeval says Good Morning to You.

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Another rainy morning here. Unlike earlier this Spring when the rain made me cranky, this rain is soothing. Now that bushes and flowers are in bloom the different colors outside combined with the rain make the scene look serene. Funny what a few weeks will do to a person’s perspective.

Seeing as the forecast says that this rain will continue most of the day, I’ve gathered my favorite electronic gadgets* and am thinking that I’ll make a nest for myself on the TV room sofa. We’ve got lots of pillows in there and with the window blinds up, I’ll be able to watch the subtle changes in the trees in the Forest Primeval [aka our back yard] without getting damp.

Only five years ago a Summer day like this one would have made me irritable. But today, thanks to wi-fi, I can sit anywhere in the house and not feel lonely or put out by the weather. Thinking about it I realize that this development might be one of the biggest changes in my lifetime. Used to be that a rainy day meant only reading a book sitting in a corner all by myself.

However, now in addition to reading a book I can: connect – research – catch-up – enjoy without going outside in the muddy, wet world. This is progress, my gentle readers. Oh yes it is. Don’t try to tell me otherwise.

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* On ~~deck~~ sofa for today are:

my [new] Kindle – reading a book
my [relatively new] iPad – watching a TV show or a movie, tweeting on Twitter
my [ancient] Motorola clamshell wireless phone – chatting, texting with whomever about whatever, as usual
my [almost new] Nikon Coolpix camera – observing the world in case there’s a photo opportunity
my [old] MacBook – reading + commenting on blogs, writing a post should the muse strike