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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

"PERSONAL FAVOURITES" PHOTO CONTEST

This month's theme for the photo contest over at Stardom Awaits! is different than most, as our photographers get to choose a maximum of 5 of their personal favourite photographs to enter. Believe me, this is no easy job as most of us have hundreds or thousands to choose from. It promises to be a good one!

If you'd like to participate in the voting, please head on over. Remember, voting is anonymous and we'd like you to always choose the ONE photo that you like best, not a photographer. :-) The voting will be open for approximately 2 weeks. Thank you!

Best of luck to our entrants!

Here are just a few of mine that didn't make the cut, there are SO many more:

ONE.


TWO.


THREE.


FOUR.


FIVE.


SIX.


SEVEN.


EIGHT.


NINE.


Thanks again, and enjoy the photography!

Jude

Sunday, August 29, 2010

END OF SUMMER

It's that time of year again that I look SO forward to: one week to go and I'll be hanging up my name tag for 3 weeks vacation in September! Autumn is upon us very soon, which is my favourite season. Not too hot, not too cold. Just beautiful colours and temperatures.

As always, I look forward to some extra sleep, photography outings, projects around the house, and did I mention extra sleep? Not having to get up with the alarm clock in the mornings is a blessing to this ol' hippie chick, one of those who doesn't always sleep very well. Throughout the year, working a full day dealing with the public, money, and some accounting functions (like payroll!) on one, two or three hours sleep is unfortunately the norm. So I always look forward to this time off and some catch-up.




Besides Spring when there are eruptions of blooms on our trees, summer's end is also a gorgeous time in our gardens. Throughout the summer everything has filled in and there are so many different coloured flowers.

The one cherry tree has turned its leaves burgundy in the early summer, contrasting nicely with the blue/green of the Spruce tree, the deep green of the other Cherry, and the silver green of the Russian Olive. And the flower beds hubby has weeded and tended so well over the summer are showing their maturity. The annuals have filled in nicely alongside all of the perennials.




Some of the flowers have gone for the year now, but there are still many that bloom in late summer and throughout the autumn. I think we've done well choosing some of everything: spring, summer and autumn bloomers. We've a ways to go yet though, and over the next few years I think we'll have it just as we want.



The horrible smoke from the B.C. forest fires has long gone thankfully, and the air is clear and fresh again. We just had a rather hot day on Thursday but the temperatures dropped dramatically within about an hour or two early evening. Late that afternoon sister Pammie and I headed out to a couple of stores on a shopping trip, and I bought some gifts for my best friend Michele's birthday, which is coming up in a few weeks. While we were out in Pammie's car (which has NO airconditioning) we were dying from the heat. It was about an hour after we got home, into our extremely hot house, that the skies clouded over, the wind picked up and the temperatures quickly dropped. It was HEAVEN! It's been cool since then and that's okay with me, especially with my vacation coming.

So as of the end of the work day on Wednesday, when I leave work my vacation begins. The only screw thrown into that this year is that we are very short staffed for the coming Saturday and my boss asked me to work it. So after a couple of days on holidays I need to work, but then I'm off again for the rest of it.

In a few more days I'll be posting the next Photo Contest, so stay tuned!

Have a great week everyone, and take good care of each other.

PEACE!
Love Jude

Thursday, August 19, 2010

FOREST FIRES

In our neighbouring province of B.C. (hello Bobbie) there are forest fires blazing, and today the thick, acrid smoke hit Alberta big time. It is very hard to tell by these pictures just how thick it is:





At the moment I've been home sick for a week battling bronchitis. Of course today the health officials are warning that people with lung problems (ie: asthma, pneumonia, bronchits) need to stay indoors and keep all windows closed. I can see why, and that statement isn't just "pole vaulting over chicken poop". Before I saw what was happening the smoke started streaming into the house through all of my open windows and I was hacking up a storm. I can safely say that there is no way I would be able to breathe outdoors right now. Scarey stuff!

Bobbie how is it where you are in B.C.?

Apparently this is supposed to hang over us until the weekend is over. I hope it's gone much sooner than that, and I also pray for the folks in B.C. who have homes and lives at threat.

Take good care of each other and have a good weekend.

PEACE!

Love Jude

Sunday, August 15, 2010

"PATRIOTISM" WINNERS!



Awesome entries from everyone! Congratulations to the winner, that photo was 2 full votes ahead of the runner-up!

Thank you so much to our voters, without you.... well it wouldn't BE a contest now would it? :-)

Next up: at the end of this month is "Personal Favourites". All of the entrants get to choose their own favourite photos. Should be a good one!

PEACE!
Love Jude

Thursday, August 12, 2010

FIREFIGHTERS STAIRCLIMB

Two posts in 2 days! What is the world of the hippie chick coming to? LOL

I need to pass this along, so I'm posting it today.

You may recognize "Orion" who is a blog link of mine, and one of the entrants in our Blog Photo Contests. Jeff (Orion) is not just my friend, he is a soldier who got home from Iraq with the U.S. Army just 8 months ago, and is also a volunteer fireman where he lives in Oregon. The firefighters hold Stairclimbs to raise money for great causes, and he's in another one. I am posting the link to his post about it so you can check it out: Firefighters Climb For a Cure!

"You'll all recall prior Stairclimbs I've participated in that helped raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Those were 69 flights in Seattle (every March). This one is for the Cystic Fibrosis Society and is a bit easier - it's only 40 flights and is on September 26, 2010 at the US Bancorp Tower in downtown Portland!"

There is also a link there to make a donation to help if you can.

Good luck Sarge, show 'em how it's done!!

PEACE
Love Jude

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

NOT LONG NOW

Three weeks from today is my last day of work before I start my annual 3 week vacation at home! YAY! Every year I spend the time looking forward to this time off. I must be getting old and tired, LOL.

Each vacation I have some projects around the house I set for myself to do, things that I wouldn't have the time or energy for when I'm working.

A few years ago it was a complete re-do of my bathroom. Paint on the walls and 4 colours included in towels and accesories. It's bright in there!













Two years ago it was making drapery side panels for my living room and dining room, and recovering my dining room chairs in the same fabric. (they look fabulous!)










Last year it was completely re-doing my den: painting the walls, new curtains, some new furniture and lamps, and moving furniture and desk around. I've been enjoying it ever since. You can't tell from this shot, but the walls are a delicious brown/taupe colour.

This year I don't have any one large project to be done, just a lot of little ones. I guess the largest one would be repainting the wall at the front door that goes downstairs to sister Pammie's suite. Hubby hauled her old fridge out and lugged her new one in a few weeks ago ~ completely gouging and marking the walls up in the process, so I need to fix the walls and repaint them.

Each vacation I also look forward to going on an extended photo shoot (or 2) usually with Pammie. A couple of years ago we spent 2 entire days at Fort Edmonton Park, we've spent time at our Legislative Grounds and some city parks. Also last year a friend I work with, Shilo, took me to a nearby park and we had a shoot there. As well as my best friend Michele, we've done a couple of cemeteries and a city park. All on my vacation! Love it! This year, Pammie and I hope to get out somewhere again, and Shilo (she is also in our Photo Contest Blog) are planning something too.

Can you see why I can't wait? :-)

And I love not having to get up with the #@!*ing alarm clock in the mornings, napping when I didn't get much sleep, and just staying off my feet more than not. My job entails being on my feet all day and that plays havoc with my arthritic joints. Getting old...... heh heh

At any rate I've still 3 weeks to go. Meanwhile, there is still the "Patriotic" photo contest to vote on if you haven't already done so over at Stardom Awaits!. The voting is still open until this Sunday.

I hope you are all having a good week. Take good care of each other!

PEACE!
Love Jude

Thursday, August 05, 2010

THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY...

I got this email from a good friend of mine and passed it around. Then they sent me back their answers.

The question was "If you saw me in a police car, what would you think I was arrested for?"

It's funny how some of my friends feel about me, just look at this:


You'd be arrested for accidentally starting a brawl at a Def Leppard concert by dancing so wildly you knock someone out.

Jaywalking.

Hiding in the neighbours bushes because you were trying to get a video of a rare bird.

You might be arrested for, unknowingly, taking photographs of a highly secret government operation taking place at a remote, but beautiful, location. And you would probably be in the U.S. when it happens.

You would be arrested for speaking your mind about something thats RIGHT and some bonehead called the cops on ya because they didn't like you telling them!


All righty then, so what do YOU think I'd be arrested for? And pass this on to friends to see what they think about you. :-)

*********************************************************

My arm has been feeling much better this past week. My doctor's appointment last Friday told me what I didn't want to hear..... this is "flare-ups" that can happen with both my osteoarthritis AND the tendonitis I have. *sigh*

He's given me a prescription for a stronger (prescription strength) antiflammatory than the Advil I've been taking. If that doesn't work, he'll try something else. And he said I may need physiotherapy. In the meantime, at least my arm isn't painful now and I can use it again. Yay!

*********************************************************


If you haven't already voted, you can do so in the photography contest over at Stardom Awaits! in this month's "Patriotic" theme.

I hope your week is a good one and that you are all taking good care of each other.

PEACE!
Love Jude