Fess Up: When Was The Last Time That You Did Something Just For The Heck Of It?

February 26, 2014January 30, 2021 / Ally Bean / 16 Comments

I don’t know if arty is the right word to use here.

Maybe what I did by cutting out images from catalogues and then placing them in a stylish way upon our dining room table isn’t arty.

Maybe it’s just plain goofy.

Or maybe it’s just an example of nostalgia. You know, the sort of thing that we used to do when we were young and had time on our hands and there was no Pinterest.

Yep, that’s the explanation that I’m going to go with here. This inspiration board is RETRO.

Something that I did just for the heck of it.

Like when I was a girl with an eye for graphics and design– but didn’t know that was what I really was doing when I made my inspiration boards.

Or, as in this case, like an adult trapped inside the house courtesy of frigid temps, looking for ways to “refresh” & “make a statement.”

My Own Version Of Lady & The Tramp

February 18, 2014 / Ally Bean / 13 Comments

I almost feel bad about this.

I mean, it’s never my intention for my actions to cause any creature to get upset. I’m not one to stir the pot just for the heck of it. I’m one to glue the puzzle pieces together to make things whole.

However…

Our neighbor’s dog, who looks just like Lady from the Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp, is a pretty cocker spaniel with impeccable manners. She usually sits on her front sidewalk, watchful and quiet; or patrols up and down her driveway, checking out the suburban scene around her house.

With nary a woof-woof.

Sadly, she has not taken this extreme weather in stride. In fact, more than once this winter she has barked her displeasure with me as I trudge diagonally across our snow-covered front yard to get to our mailbox. Granted as I’m doing this I’m wearing a huge parka, hat and scarf, so maybe she thinks that I don’t belong over here.

That I’m a tramp of sorts.

All I know is that she makes it clear to me that she believes that I’m breaking decorum by not using our [currently ice-covered] concrete sidewalk and driveway. This makes her uneasy, I sense. Worried. And in need of telling everyone within a five block radius about my lack of good manners as evidenced by my tramping through the snow.

Who knew that this breed of dog could be so loud?

Photo Source: American Kennel Club

Cold. Bored. But With A Song In My Heart. Or Something Like That.

February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 / Ally Bean / 16 Comments

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Let’s pretend, for purposes of discussion, that in an uncharacteristic development, I’ve discovered that I have NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT here today.

That after a week of being at home, unable to get my car down our driveway onto the street due to an ice build-up at the bottom of the driveway where it meets the street, I have NO STORIES TO TELL.

That after this weather-induced hermit experience my creativity and awareness have disappeared, lost in the boredom that comes from DOING TOO MUCH NOTHING BY MYSELF.

Meaning that all I have to share with you, my gentle readers, is a photo of a birch tree branch that fell on top of the icy snow, making a lovely visual summation of my current situation: IT’S FREEZING OUTSIDE AND I GOT NOTHING MUCH TO DO.

Except, I guess, to decide what song needs to be in my heart. ANY SUGGESTIONS, ANYONE? Goodness knows, I have the time to listen to them all!

Who Needs The Green Flash When You Can Have The Orange Smudge?

January 30, 2014February 12, 2016 / Ally Bean / 10 Comments

I. Anyone who has ever spent any time in southwest Florida standing on the beach looking at the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, knows that there’s this thing called the green flash. It’s a phenomenon wherein a sharp line of emerald green flashes across the ocean horizon the second that the sun disappears.

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II. For the last few weeks, Ohio has experienced sub-zero temps that have made life [shall we say?] interesting. Since the arrival of this arctic weather, there’s been one aspect of it that has charmed me. Almost every night at sunset when I look out the window across our deck through the trees to the neighbor’s houses, I see a beautiful shade of orange on the horizon.

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III. While not as spectacular and dramatic as the Florida green flash, this delightful Ohio-in-winter sunset phenomenon has a quiet magic of its own that is more in keeping with the low-key vibe of this state. And as such, I believe it deserves a name, too.

So it is with the foregoing in mind that I’ve decided to take it upon myself and name this phenomenon. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ohio’s answer to the green flash. Around here, it’s all about the orange smudge.