Photo Challenge Day 30 - In Motion

I have to cheat a little bit on this one.

Yesterday I laid out this quilt on my kitchen floor so that I could baste it.

I finished the job before I went to bed.  Believe me, that took a lot of motion - but I wasn't about to try to get a self portrait of it.

Day 29 - Purchased

I took my mom on her weekly Walmart run today and decided it was a good time to stock up on some sugary cereals.  I'm looking forward to a visit from some grandkids over Easter vacation, and that's one thing they expect to find in the cupboard.

Sometimes I Knit

I haven't accomplished much on the quilting end this month.  For years I've had an itch to knit myself a sweater but it took a while to work up the confidence to take the plunge.   Barb gave me the push I needed when we were browsing in the local yarn shop.  Now I'm halfway there -- and it actually is beginning to look like something that will fit and I'll wear!   I just hope I can figure out what the instructions are saying about how to get those sleeves back on a needle.  Time for some youtube research.

Photo Challenge Day 28 - Daily Routine

Breakfast Routine

1 cup multi-grain cheerios

1 scant handful chopped pecans

1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon

creative drizzle of local honey

1 generous handful of blueberries

milk to taste

coffee and Kindle (not seen here) on the side

Photo Challenge Day 27 - After dark

it gets really spooky outside.   I have to admit I'm afraid of the dark, so this was a difficult challenge for me.

There's not much activity in downtown Calumet after the sun goes down.  Where is everybody?  Maybe I'm not the only one who's afraid of the dark.

Photo Challenge Day 26 - Something Old

Some of the silver belonged to my grandparents, some to my parents.  The older pieces are sterling silver and the price list in the box dated 1949 shows that a 6 piece place setting sold for $22.50.  I looked at ebay prices and they listed four piece place settings of the same pattern between $157 and $230.  I didn't notice that anyone was bidding, but it was interesting.

In other news -- I don't think I'll see any flies on the front of my house today.

Photo Challenge Day 25 - Sunflare

I had a little trouble with this day.  I should have taken advantage of the sunshine we had earlier in the month.  I did manage to capture a few images on the afternoon we spent at McLain Park, but after studying them it would have been fun to get out and try again.

I thought the colors in this second one were interesting.

Photo Challenge Day 24 - A smile...

that makes me smile. 

Photo Challenge Day 23 - Sunset

I haven't had any luck finding a sunset to photograph -- we've got heavy fog tonight.   I should have thought about it earlier in the week.  This sunset was seen behind our church after Bible Class Wednesday night.  I was wishing I had my camera with me, but fortunately my friend Marne was prepared and was kind enough to let me post her photo.

It was the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long time.

Photo Challenge Day 22 - Trees

Every year McLain State Park loses more trees to erosion.   This one caught my eye on our recent trip there.

Day 21 - Pretty Pattern

Even after all the years I've lived here, I'm still fascinated by the patterns made with bricks and sandstone on the old mining company buildings in Calumet.  

Photo Challenge Day 20 - What I Read

It's a bit of a stretch to say I actually read these books, but I have spent hours looking at the pictures.

Looking at pictures may not fill me with knowledge, but it does inspire me.

Don't forget -- Spring has arrived!!  This quilt is sitting here waiting to snuggle up with the first new baby girl born this Spring.

Just call or leave a comment on my blog to claim it.

Day 19 - Where I Slept

Right behind that window.

If you click on the photo to enlarge, the little black dots all over the front of the house are flies -- a pretty unusual sight in the middle of March.

Photo Challenge Day 18 -- In my Bag

My latest knitting project.

It's nice to have a portable project, but I don't often remember to take advantage of that.

Photo Challenge Day 17 - On the shelf...

you can find some of the cups and saucers I've collected and inherited over the years.

I think I must have inherited my love of pretty china dishes from my Aunt Mary.

She was born in 1904 and these china dishes were the first thing she bought when she started working as a young girl.

Photo Challenge Day 16 - What I Ate

for lunch today at Sheldon's Grill in Houghton.

With Barb and my mom, I feasted on the soup and salad bar.  They serve this Monday through Friday for only $6.50. The choice of soups today was Italian Beef with Chicken (Barb and mom said it was very good) and Creamy Chicken Pilaf which was delicious.  On Mondays they include a taco bar, on Wednesdays a fajita bar -- for the same low price.   I'd go again.

Photo Challenge Day 15 - Shoes

I have a rather small, quite shabby collection of shoes.  One of my dreams would be to have a brand new pair of shoes in each of those cubbies every season.  I've accepted the fact that it's not going to happen. 

Photo Challenge Day 14 - Flowers

I buy myself flowers once a year, usually in March when I'm waiting for Spring to arrive.  I planned to do that today while I was out -- then I forgot until I got back home again.  So much for good intentions.

I definitely don't have a green thumb, and even if I did, it's a bit too early to find flowers growing in this area.
So this is as good as it gets -

Speaking of Spring -- don't forget that I'll be giving away this quilt to the first one to have a Spring baby girl - on or after the first day of Spring (March 20).

Photo Challenge Day 13 - In the distance. . .

you can see the whitecaps.

It was a beautiful sunshiny day today.  I was delighted when my sister called to see if I wanted to take a ride out to McLain State Park.   There was snow blocking the road to get in there, but we slogged through the mush, dodging the dog poop.  I was wishing I had galoshes.

We stopped at Bucky's on the way back.  I love fences disappearing into the distance --

I'm so glad I accepted this photo a day challenge.  I love seeing everyone's pictures, and I'm so happy that today it got me out of the house.

Photo Challenge Day 12 - Close Up

It thought about dusting and trying again -- but I think the picture is more interesting as is.

Photo Challenge Day 11 - Something Fun

A fun visit - playing a fun game and sharing some good laughs.

And fun that I remembered how to use the delay thing on my camera!

Photo Challenge Day 10 - Something I Made

I decided I needed to make a bag this week.  I came across this simple pattern on the internet and thought I'd give it a try.  I didn't want this one to look girlie, so I tried some straight line doodling to quilt the fabric before I cut it out.

Looks like the button should move down a bit -- I just slapped it on there without reading the pattern to check on placement.

Photo Challenge Day 9 - Faceless Self Portrait

With a little help from my sister, I figured out the delay timer thing.  I wonder if I'll remember how to do it tomorrow.

Here's something I do many times a day -- and most days that's the only exercise I get.

So much fun -- I had to take another picture.  This had been my first thought for today's photo until Barb posted.  I thought it might look like I was stealing her idea.

I decided this was the year I'd try to knit myself a sweater.  I've been enjoying the process -- I hope I end up with something I can wear.

Photo Challenge Day 8 - Technology

If my house was on fire, this would be the first thing I'd grab....

after I threw all  my fabric out the window.

Photo Challenge Day 7 - Something New

It's a brand new day.

I wonder what it will bring.

Photo Challenge Day 6 - Childhood Memory

I remember a lot of game playing in our house growing up.  My favorite then - and still is - word games.

In those days it was Skip-A-Cross -- now it's Scrabble.  Some of the other games we played included Uncle Wiggily, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, and Monopoly.  I hated Monopoly then, and I still refuse to play it with any grandkids that ask.  I guess my brothers always got the best of me in that one.

Photo Challenge Day 5 - Someone I Love

with all my heart!

My sweet mom -- who will be turning 92 in one month.  We had some good giggles with an early morning photo shoot.  I had spent the night with her since she was a little under the weather; fortunately she woke up all perky this morning.   She kept blinking her eyes every time I'd take a picture -- I guess it doesn't take much to get the giggles at 6 in the morning.  Wouldn't it be nice to look that good at 6 a.m.?

I sure do love her to pieces.  Sometimes you may hear me grumbling because she loves to go go go -- that can be a bit exhausting for a homebody like me.  But I do appreciate that she keeps me from being a hermit.

Photo Challenge Day 4 - Favorite Color

Photo Challenge Day 3 - Clouds

Clouds are hard to come by here today.  We've got snow, wind, and completely overcast skies.  I thought about walking down to the snowmobile trail to catch a cloud of snow dust, but it was only a thought.

So I was left with this -

Yep -- there it is -- my cloud.  Not sure what all I can do with it, but it's there.  I know it's a little hard to read   so you'll have to trust me on this.

If that doesn't excite you, here's a poem about a cloud that will surely bring much lovelier pictures to mind.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud I wandered lonely as a cloud  That floats on high o'er vales and hills,  When all at once I saw a crowd,  A host, of golden daffodils;  Beside the lake, beneath the trees,  Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.  Continuous as the stars that shine  And twinkle on the milky way,  They stretched in never-ending line  Along the margin of a bay:  Ten thousand saw I at a glance,  Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.  The waves beside them danced; but they  Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:  A poet could not but be gay,  In such a jocund company:  I gazed---and gazed---but little thought  What wealth the show to me had brought:  For oft, when on my couch I lie  In vacant or in pensive mood,  They flash upon that inward eye  Which is the bliss of solitude;  And then my heart with pleasure fills,  And dances with the daffodils. --William Wordsworth

CopperDog 150

It was a perfect night to check out the sled dog races!  I don't think I've ever seen so many people in Calumet.

Just thought I'd share a few amateur shots of the event for those of you who weren't able to make it.  In my humble opinion, it's right at the top of the list of fun things to do in the Copper Country.

A few familiar faces in the crowd.

And fireworks in the park!

30-Day Photo Challenge - WHAT I WORE............

almost 20 years ago -

at Greg and Sharyn's wedding.

Some of you may wonder why this hasn't found it's way to Goodwill; sometimes I wonder myself.    I suppose I hang onto it just in case I end up in the hospital and wither away a couple of sizes before I die, I'll have something to wear to my funeral.  For those who need to know -- it's hanging in the attic.

You can look at yesterday's photo to see what I wore today ;)

A 30-day Photo Challenge

and I said "sure, I'll do it"!   Not because I'm a photographer, that's for sure.  I suppose the thought of something a little out of the norm on my blog sounded tempting.   I'm not even close to being a daily blogger, but I suppose I can give it a try for one month while I sit and wait for Spring.

Then I read the rules.  Aach!  A self portrait???

Twenty tries later, I got a shot I was reluctantly willing to share.

The rest of the month should be easier.

Check out the comments on Yvonne's blog to see who else is playing along.