Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Cold Barges
What a difference a few weeks makes…….on November 17th, I posted photos of the tugs and barges docked along the canal – parked for the winter as the canal was closing for the season and waiting to be drained – click here for that post. Since then, the canal has been drained and winter has set in. Yesterday, I took the following photos from the Main Street bridge……the tugs and barges sure look cold with a dusting of snow and the low water level frozen around them……and odd sitting so low in the canal! But, that’s winter on the canal!
Perfect Timing
Looking out my den window first thing this morning, I was struck by how much the clouds looked like a vast mountain range had formed to the north……I had to step outside to get a photo……and by the time I got back in to my den, the clouds were already breaking up and no longer looked like a mountain range……the power of perfect timing!!!
Sunday Stills – In Your Hand
This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is called “In Your Hand“. The direction for the challenge was to take a photo of something that fits in the palm of your hand and the photo must include…..you guessed it – your hand!!! Oh, and no archived photos (not that I think I’ve ever taken a photo of something sitting in the palm of my hand, anyway….hehehe).
I looked around my desk for something interesting to photograph and immediately noticed this adorable mini dream catcher key chain that a good friend sent to me in her Christmas card – I just received it yesterday and LOVE IT – I have always loved dream catchers!!! I thought about what background I would use to give the photo some added interest and decided that using Ed’s post for the challenge might be a cute idea……since he, too, took his photo in front of his computer screen…..so, here it is:
All Done…..
On December 11, 2012….just a hair shy of a year ago….I got my first set of Invisalign trays (click here to read about that day). On Nov 26th, my dentist and I decided I was done and on Dec 4th, I picked up my retainer (that I will need to wear at night forever to keep them from shifting back the way they were), so I’m all done……and very happy with the results!
Depending on how you look at it, I finished later or sooner than I should have…..Ok, let me explain: Originally, it was predicted that it would take 8-10 months to align, which would have put my end date around Aug-Oct. But, I had a couple little hiccups around mid-way through that added time to the process. When I went in on Nov 26th, I actually had 4 sets (8 weeks) left on the current plan. But, another hiccup caused us to need to decide if we wanted to do new impressions and re-adjust the last phase – which would have added at least a couple more sets and a few more weeks to the plan – or just stop here. My dentist looked at the computer model and determined that the last phase actually would have minimal movement – just some minor final tweaking – so we decided that it wasn’t worth the extra time, since I was probably 98-99% “there”. I have lived with the overbite all my life – the reason I started the Invisaligns wasn’t to fix the overbite – it was to fix the problem that the teeth were beginning to shift, creating gaps on either side of my front teeth and the front teeth to tip slightly outward and rotate slightly – the overbite fix was icing on the cake! So, since the main problem was fixed and the overbite was darned near fixed, I was happy……..and, to be honest, ready to be done with them!!! 🙂 The dentist polished off the attachment thingys and took impressions for the retainers and I smiled all the way home!
So, most of the time when you make a drastic change, you like to document it with before and after photos. Well, in this case, I was always so conscious of my smile when a camera was close by (in my mind, my teeth stuck WAY out over the bottom ones and the camera exaggerated it), I have LOTS of photos with my hand over my mouth or little half smiles that show just a fraction of my teeth or big closed lip smiles, but very few full toothy grins – and even most of those didn’t really show the overbite or gaps well because I would delete any side angle shots that I thought showed my teeth in an unflattering way – even though I’ve gotten a lot less ashamed of it as I’ve gotten older. I actually took a couple selfies the day I got my first trays to use as “before” shots, but they are way too fuzzy – not good! So, after a lot of searching, I did find a couple that will at least give an idea of the “before” look…..I can not believe I’m about to put them on here for the world to see……but, here goes – the first really highlights the overbite and the second highlights the shifting and changes the front teeth went through over the last few years (see the gap and the two front ones are tipped outward and turned slightly – it was worse than this by the time I decided to do something about it):
BEFORE
AND…..DRUM ROLL, PLEASE……
AFTER
OK, so the before look wasn’t THAT bad (everyone has a little something they are particularly vein about)…..but, the shifting was getting worse and was headed toward causing some long term problems, so it needed to be corrected……and, like I said, getting rid of that overbite that I have always been so very sub-conscious about was icing on the cake!!!
The benefits, aside from straighter teeth, include being able to bite into a sandwich without tearing at it – funny how having your teeth come together correctly help your bite – and I can now do something I’ve never been able to do….whistle – it still isn’t a pretty whistle, but something that very closely resembles a normal whistle now comes out when I form my lips and blow!!! And the best benefit of all……I am happy to now smile big for the camera!!!
Meal Time Routine
The girls have many routines that have made their lives comfortable over the years – none, however, as funny to watch as the one they have for meal times! Megan, in particular, will snatch food that was dropped or left unattended quicker than Superman beating that speeding bullet…..but, at meal time, she and her sisters are all so polite!
Here’s how it goes:
Their dishes are lined up in front of the stove and cabinets, like this:
For breakfast, Katie gets her morning medicines on a little dab of peanut butter while Megan and Amy watch to be sure they don’t miss out on something. Then, Megan gets to lick the peanut butter residue off my finger. The next step is for them all to get a Synovi G3 Chew – a healthy joint supplement with MSM, chondroitin, and glucosamine. Megan and Amy wolf theirs down in one chomp and Katie takes her time…..breaking it up into smaller pieces and chewing it ever so carefully (it is maybe 1/2″ square and a soft chew, but she treats it like a big tough piece of steak). Once Katie is done savoring her chew, I fill a glass with water and roll the food container over next to the stove – all while all three follow me around and watching me closely. Then, I start to fill the dishes with their food with all three standing in a row….in order of their dishes….just behind me watching and wagging their tails and shifting their weight on their feet in a nervous dance. I scoop one cup in Katie’s dish and add some water and say, “there’s Katie’s breakfast” – no one moves. Then, I scoop one cup in Amy’s dish and add some water and say, “there’s Amy’s breakfast” – no one moves. Then, I scoop one cup in Megan’s dish and add some water and say, “there’s Megan’s breakfast” – Megan edges in a little closer to get a better look at what I’m doing. Then, I put the scoop in the bin and say, “OK, everybody eat”! and they calmly walk in a synchronized row up to their respective dishes and chow down! While they eat, I sit in the chair at the dining room table to watch…..if I don’t, then Megan will try to intimidate the others to leave their dishes so she can get more! Megan gobbles and is always done first…..licking her bowl over and over to be sure she didn’t leave any crumbs or gravy! Amy is done shortly after Megan and walks over to me so I can fuss over her and say “Amy ate all her breakfast, what a good girl you are!” while Megan licks Amy’s bowl thinking that she MUST have left something, but Amy always leaves it dishwasher clean! Katie always takes much longer to eat……she likes to taste her food and linger on the flavors bursting in her mouth……she takes her tongue and licks at the gravy and then uses it to take one or two bits of food at a time and chews them thoroughly before swallowing and going for another round. Of course, this drives Megan NUTS!!! She paces around watching her, ready to jump in the second Katie relinquishes her spot at the dish. I try to distract her with loving, but she quickly gets her pats or hugs and returns to her vigil…….I tell her to “sit and be patient” and she’ll sit down beside me in the dining room and rigidly stare at Katie……all the time Katie just goes on eating, un-phased by Megan’s intense stares! I rub her head and back and tell her what a good, patient girl she’s being and she gives me a quick glance and skootches over out of reach with that “don’t bother me, I’m busy” body language! Finally, Katie finishes and walks away from the dish. Megan creeps in slowly, making sure Katie isn’t planning on going back for more and then pounces on the dish to lick up the remnants of gravy and crumbs (Katie always leaves some traces behind that gives Megan something to be proud of herself over). They, then, go outside and play and take care of business!
Dinner time is the same ritual, without the medicines, chews, or water……they just get a cup each of dry food for dinner for their tooth health!
I have to be sure I feed them when I have the time to sit and baby sit them…..if the phone rings during their rituals, I ignore it and return the call later…..if I get distracted, Megan ends up with three meals and Katie and Amy miss out – so, I don’t allow distractions!
Dogs love their rituals……it makes them feel safe and comfortable…….break any ritual and they get very nervous and out of sorts…….mine are no exception, so I take their rituals very seriously and respect their importance. It makes for three very happy little girls! 🙂
Sunday Stills – Pets
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is “PETS”! Oh, Boy……if there is one thing I have a lot of, it is photos of my girls!!! I wonder, though, if I had known that this challenge was coming up, would I have chosen another subject to highlight on the week the challenge was “Favorite Subject“??? Hhhmmm………..nope, probably wouldn’t have changed a thing! hehehe
So, here goes: I could fill this post with pics of Katie, Megan, and Amy – the three current joys of my life, but I’m not going to! I gave this some thought and decided to use this challenge to honor a beloved pet that sadly passed on in 2007 after 17 years of being the Grand Diva in my home! There never has and never will be any like her……ever!!!
I present to you….
Her Royal Highness, The Princess Puddles Pritt
(Dec 15, 1990 – April 20, 2007)
This is my very favorite photo of Puddles – she will live on forever in my heart!
It wasn’t enough for this Diva to just sit on the couch…….she had to sit on a pillow on the couch!!! 🙂
Thanks for the challenge (that was more of a no-brainer than a challenge) and for taking the time to help honor my beautiful Puddles in the month that would have been her 23rd birthday! Click here to read the story of Puddles’ pampered life.
Sunday Stills – Night Shots
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is: Night Shots – any type of night shot! The last two weeks, I copped out and used photos from my archives, but this week I wanted to use this challenge as an excuse to get out and take some photos of our downtown all lit up with Christmas decorations! So – here is my entry for “Night Shots” – enjoy!
NOTE: In some of the photos, you will see some white streaks! These are NOT jet streams or shooting stars or ghostly visitors! It was snowing and the camera captured some of the snow flakes floating by in really cool streaks!
Main Street, Albion, NY – looking south from near the canal:
Each light post on Main Street is adorned with a wreath and a “Welcome to Albion” banner:
A few of the lovely store fronts – all decorated so beautifully:
The huge evergreen in front of the old Swan Library – all lit up:
Same tree with the old Swan Library in the background and lots of snow flake streaks:
Main Street, Albion, NY – looking north from the corner of State Street:
The tree in front of the Swan Library shot from in front of the Courthouse on State Street:
Orleans County Courthouse at night:
Movie Review – Last Vegas
Lately, I’ve gotten back into the habit of going to the movies. I used to love going to a matinee – alone or with friends – and made it a regular habit. Since moving back home, I slowed down on the movies – mainly because, unlike in Sanford where there was a theater right in town and several within a 15-30 minute drive, there aren’t any theaters close enough to easily just “pop in” on an afternoon. But, lately, I’ve gotten back into the habit! I have found a friend who enjoys movies as much as I do and I’ve found a very nice, fairly new, clean, and easy to get to theater! BINGO!!!! 🙂 And, Mom and I are always looking for little mini adventures, too!
Mom has been wanting to see one particular movie since she first started seeing the trailers for it – me, too! Mom likes to go to the theater to see a movie now and then, but it has to be something that really catches her eye – like this one! So, yesterday, I got a huge treat and went to see a movie with my Mom!!! YAY!!! We went to Tinseltown in Gates to catch the 2:05 matinee showing of Last Vegas and then, had a delicious dinner at Pixley’s Restaurant – located right next to the theater with great food at reasonable prices.
We both loved the movie – so funny and a great story! The all-star cast – Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen – was incredible. An actor by the name of Romany Malco also starred as the casino employee who catered to the gang and Michael Ealy (who I LOVED in the TV show Common Law – what intense blue eyes he has) played Morgan Freeman’s over protective son.
The story starts out with the four main characters (Douglas, De Niro, Freeman, and Kline) as boyhood friends in Flatbush, NY – known as the Flatbush Four – and their shenanigans! Then, fast forward 58 years later to show the four in their old age living in different states – three of the four are living routine lives typical of men their age – Paddy (De Niro) lives a secluded, lonely life after losing his wife – the love of his life – just a year prior, Archie (Freeman) lives with his son (Michael Ealy of Common Law) who is very protective of his Dad’s every move after he suffered a stroke, and Sam (Kline) who lives in Florida with his wife and a knee and hip replacement. But, Billy (Douglas) lives life in the fast lane – he is a super rich business man with a girlfriend who is less than 1/2 his age, dyed hair, and a spray on tan! Billy calls Archie and Sam to announce he has finally popped the question to his young friend after being a confirmed bachelor for all these years and he is getting married in Las Vegas. The guys decide the only thing to do is to get the Flatbush Four back together for a bachelor party in Las Vegas – only problem is that Paddy and Billy have “issues” and Paddy wouldn’t be caught dead in the same state as Billy! But, Sam and Archie trick him into going and the fun begins! The guys live it up – “party like it’s 1959”, get into all kinds of situations, meet the lovely Diana (Steenburgen) – where history repeats itself with Billy and Paddy both falling for her, Billy and Paddy mend their differences, and their lives are reenergized – no more routine, stodgy old men (Freeman, De Niro, and Kline) or reckless millionaire playboy (Douglas), as evident in the final scenes just 58 days after the Las Vegas trip!
It is funny and heartwarming……and, yes, I even teared up a couple of times! 🙂 Douglas, De Niro, Freeman, and Kline still have what it takes to bring a character to life and command the big screen – they were all delightful and perfectly cast! Mary Steenburgen was as lovely and sweet as ever in her role – another genius job at casting. Romany Malco, Michael Ealy, and Jerry Ferrara round out the cast with fun supporting roles. This is a must see……we were very glad we did! I rate this movie an A with a two thumbs up recommendation!
Here is the trailer – enjoy:
Sunday Stills – Favorite Subject
Week two in my attempt to keep up with the Sunday Stills challenges. This week’s challenge: One picture of your favorite subject. Simple, right? Well, I struggled with this one because I have a LOT of favorite subjects to photograph – the lake, waterfalls, other water scenes, the sky, flowers, favorite places around town……and on and on and on! I thought and thought – do I search my folders for a most favorite photo – do I go out and find something within my favorite subjects that would be really cool to shoot? But, it ended up being a lot more simple than I was trying to make it! I kept going back to my very first instinct, so that is what I went with.
My favorite subject? My girls, of course! This is one of my most favorite photos of the girls – Katie, Megan, and Amy – it is the photo on my desktop and I quite often use it as my cover photo on Facebook, as well as other ways I use it routinely – I LOVE IT!!! I shot this on a lazy afternoon not long after I moved back to my home town (see I still had a card table set up in my dining room – HA). They were all gazing out the patio doors at faint snow flurries hoping to catch a glimpse of a cat or squirrel to go crazy over. It is rare to have them all sitting patiently together and to be able to capture it on camera is even more rare!
So, here is my entry for the challenge…….wonder what next week’s challenge will be? This is fun!!! 🙂
And The Season Ends…
The 189th annual season on the historic Erie Barge Canal ended this past week. On Friday, the waterway was closed to boat traffic and it will soon be drained. For weeks, now, barges, tugs, and tenders have been making their way to their designated parking spots along the banks of the canal – their work is finished and they are no longer needed to maintain canal operations and what little commerce still utilizes the canal system. As I left church and headed home this afternoon, I noticed that the section between the Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges is crammed end-to-end and two deep with these iconic floating work horses all tied off along the north bank. I couldn’t resist pulling up and snapping some photos before the state begins to ready the canal for winter by draining it of most of its water.
Even though today is actually a warm fall day, the sky and trees look very much like winter is already upon us – dark, dreary, sullen, and lonely. The park benches along the tow path are abandoned and the vessels look cold and barren.
I’ll post some winter shots in the coming months, but this post marks the end of the 2013 season…..the canal will reopen for business for the 190th year in the spring……until then, rest ye ole work vessels, rest…….
Kim's Thoughts 
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