The itsy-bitsy spider too close up and personal for me!!
(Click picture for larger image) 
"I believe one of the hardest things you can do is conquer your fears, but if you have a goal, then it's your job to open up and let it be real no matter how scary it seems." ~ Anonymous
I don't like spiders. I'm not that afraid of them, but a lot of people are including Nyssa. As a zoology major in college, I know enough to identify the bad ones and to stay away from their favorite habitats and to wear protective clothing when working outside. This little spider is one of many who have spun their webs in the bushes of our yard. This web is somewhat cone-shaped with the spider hiding nestled down amid the branches of the bush. Vibration in the web from a passing fly or gnat can be felt by the spider. I tried it and this little fellow rushed out hoping to catch his dinner. What he found was a digital camera lens up close. This scared him more than he scared me and he scurried back down into his hiding place.
Submission to Macro Day for topic "scary". (end of post)
Strange, I really don't know what she was doing. "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know." ~ Diane Arbus
"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense." ~ Mark Twain
This is a strange picture taken at a strange moment in time of a strange child with a nutty sense of humor. Yes, she is mine, I still claim her. Sometimes I wonder what planet she came from, but I was awake when she was born so I know she's mine.
The nose is a Toucan beak. Why? The only thing I can come up with is just goofing off. Apparently she had a pillow stuffed under her shirt; maybe pretending to be Santa with a big nose? Thank goodness she didn't want to go out in public looking like this.
The little outfit brings back memories though. I bought the black knit material in Oklahoma City. We spread it out on the tile entry area of the house and put fabric paint in pastel colors of pink, yellow, blue, green and white in large metal pie tins. Then I helped her put her three year old hands in the paint and we made prints all over the material. After it dried I folded it with every intention on making a little dress right away. Things came up as they always do and we moved to Mississippi. I pulled the material out a few months later and cut out this pant suit. It was a record of her hands, one of my favorite creations. It is now packed away waiting for her to use how she wants; maybe for her own little girl or maybe to be used in a memory quilt.
Nyssa doesn't remember the fun we had making the prints, but I do. This strange picture reminds me of so much love.
Submission for PXITE topic "strange". (end of post)
Zula (Perdue) Brown, age 16, 1921
(Click picture for larger image) "A man finds room in a few square inches of his face for the traits of all his ancestors; for the expression of all his history, and his wants"
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is a picture of my grandmother, Zula Perdue Brown, on her 16th birthday in 1921. The back of the picture has a place for a stamp and is labeled "post card"; it seems this was common then. The suit reminds me of fashions from the movie "Titanic" and the satin hat with a wide brim that appears to be covered with tulle.
Her face is mature for sixteen. Maybe it was growing up fairly poor on a working tobacco farm in central Virginia, or having so many brothers and sisters, or a limited opportunity for education or perhaps it was simply the time in history that forced a girl to grow up quickly; to be responsible for herself.
Grandma had been a handful for her mom as a young girl; to the point that at age twelve she went to live with her own Granny. Her house was just down the lane but it was a good distance for her. Apparently, she sometimes had trouble getting along with her siblings. She was always opinionated and never failed to speak her mind.
Notice that on her left wrist she wears a gold bangle bracelet. She saved her money and worked extra chores to buy a gold band and this bracelet. It has an etched design and a hinge opening. She bought it for her 13th birthday. When I was in college she gave me the bracelet and I still have it. It needs a little repair work on the hinge right now but it is still beautiful. Someday I'll pass it on to Nyssa.
Beethoven's Fur Elise
"Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous".
~ Yehudi Menuhin
This is one of my favorite piano solos, Nyssa's too. She performed this piece in her piano recital when she was seven; yes, all of it. Her little hands couldn't quite reach the octaves needed so some fingering had to be changed, but she really was magnificent.
I love the sounds of a symphony, so many different types of instruments: violins, violas, bass, oboe, flute, french horn, kettle drum, trombone, cello, piano, clarinet and others. Before a performance the musicians warm up playing scales or occasionally a tune; every instrument playing something different at the same time. A cacophony of sounds, discord, sometimes quite unpleasant to the ear. Yet let the conductor raise his baton and begin his direction and those same musicians play in harmonies and melodies, intricately woven together in a complete tapestry of sound; sound that can soothe, calm and uplift the soul. All it takes is direction; all it takes is order.
Submission to Photo Friday topic "order". (end of post)
Max & The Scarf (Click picture for larger image)
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." ~ Unknown
Hello!
Max here. Boy do I feel better now! I was getting shaggy and it was so hot that my mom had to let me stay in the house in my big carrier with the nice cushion. It was so hot, I didn't stay out to do my business for very long. I even got to spend the night in the house with the kitties. Mom said I snored.
Then I got shaved. I don't remember much about it because they gave me something to make me go to sleep and I slept through all the clipping, shaving, washing and drying. But look at what they gave me, a pretty scarf. I've never had a scarf before. Don't you think it makes me look handsome? I got a new collar too.
My only problem is that I feel a little nekkid (that's southern for naked). Now I have to hide in my house for a few days until I get used to this "do". I really hate to take a bath and get wet, but Mom was right, I do feel cooler and the Pekingese next door seems to like my look.
My mom said to remind you to remember all the animals that have been separated from their families with this bad storm. Many have died, others are lost and hungry and scared. I was once lost and hungry and scared so I know how they feel. I hope they are all as fortunate as I was.
Bye for now. Max
Go see the dogs at Carnival of the Dogs, hosted by Mickey's Musings. (end of post)
