Taken in the parking lot during a quick trip to the grocery store. I was immediately reminded of a blog post from my friend, Amy, that I absolutely loved. Not as cute as the boxer that Amy saw (also in the parking lot of a grocery store – how weird is that?), but this puppy…

Still missing you, Spring.

“I’ve always found this a trying time of the year. The leaves not yet out, mud everywhere you go. Frosty mornings gone, sunny mornings not yet come. Give me blizzards and frozen pipes, but not this nothing time. Not this waiting room of the world.” – C.S. LewisWhat looked like buds on a tree outside my…

Murphy’s new favorite spot — he even naps here. This box has been sitting on the counter since the holidays because I don’t want to adios his perch. (Okay, the box is still sitting there because it’s cookware and I, well, haven’t cooked anything more complicated than a crockpot meal. Murphy is currently getting more…

At first glance, a trip to Powder Valley seemed to be another study in browns and grays… But color could be found if I looked hard enough. There seemed to be a lot of this stuff on the felled trees. Looked like nature’s petri dishes. And just briefly, the clouds parted to show the best…

After a perfectly brutal work week, Lorraine started our department’s Friday on the best note — with cupcakes! Yay! We are all total cupcake monsters, so these were very much appreciated. Red velvet for me. Thank you, Lolo. (Red velvet cake: Steel Magnolias flashback.) Now that this crazy week has come to a close, hopefully…

If I hadn’t looked at Twitter today, I wouldn’t have been able to observe two very important occasions: Squirrel Appreciation Day and National Hug Day. After a few seconds of consideration, I gotta tell ya, I’m not inclined to break out the noise makers. Appreciate squirrels? Yah, not so much. And National Hug Day? That…

An AP photo* of a little boy and his cow (Treat) at a Pennsylvania farm show. This is everything I love about photography. An entire story can be communicated in one frame. This one says “love” without saying a word. And it doesn’t even matter how the story ends. For this one little moment, this…

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  ~Anne Lamott Right now my stubborn hope is that, if I just show up to work tomorrow, the above image will not be the view from my window. From the…

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/1/317016Free video streaming by UstreamI’m so excited — there’s a new litter of Shiba Inu puppies being live streamed on the Web! The mamma had a new litter of five a few days ago! Just what I need. Puppy porn to add to my panda porn. (Figure I should say it before my coworkers do.)…

This blog post turned me into a puddle. And we’re not talking a tiny kleenex-dab at the corner of the eye puddle. No, this was a mascara-destroying, red-faced from nose-wiping puddle. It’s called “Shoot to Live: What do your photos teach you?” After reading her story, I don’t know how to answer her question —…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640 Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It’s Christmas all over again! A new app for my phone has me taking photos of everything in the house — including the above. This is SO unbelievably cool. Lenses, filters, the whole nine yards — can be changed with just a finger swipe across the screen. As I was searching for something on the…

Another tennis tournament brought another trip over to Illinois this weekend. But I got to drive through the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows again, which is always a good thing. I left my beloved Canon in the car and opted to play with my iPhone camera (above photos) and my little Holga. The Holga…

A t-shirt at an airport gift shop in the Sooner State. Dare to dream, kids. Cow Pies, Cowboy Nuts, Buffalo Patties…there was a lovely variety of farm animal excrement-related souvenirs. Funny how airports reflect their states’ personalities (as demonstrated through gift shop merchandise). But no matter where you go, people watching is a trip. I’m…

Some random images from a quick work trip. From a layover at the Chicago airport: So it’s probably only mildly strange to take and post a photo of someone I don’t know. But this cracked me up. This kid was the soundest sleeper. Ever. Some lovely art from one our hospitals: From the Madison airport…

When it comes to photos of my sister, it’s harder to find one of her without a doll than it is to find one with. Cricket, Baby Beans, Mrs. Beasley, Pebbles from the Flintstones…she’s had them all. Now that she’s in her [ahem]0’s, here is the latest addition to her collection. Happy birthday [yesterday] to…

Beautiful early morning sun at my folks’ house on a quick and unexpected trip back to town.* There were five deer in their backyard when we pulled into the driveway on Saturday. Just a tiny bit of frost created the coolest patterns on a window this morning. (So glad that I was indoors!) Now we’re…

Right now, I’m wishing that… I could figure out a way to get to the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA by April. The above photo reminded me of his characters (cute but moody). *sigh* I could get somebody else to un-deck my halls. The background of said photo is my cheerful Christmas tree that I…

This was the view out the patio door during lunch on a school’s-cancelled and I’m-working-from-home snow day. And for something different, I popped up some Jiffy Pop for the kids. Is it just me, or does the finished product remind you of a rather unfortunate news story? I know that Jiffy Pop came first, so…

Check out this story. The basketball team is from my boys’ high school. It’s not every day that we hear or read about something that restores our faith in the concept of sportsmanship — especially in high school athletics. But more than that, this restores our faith in people’s ability to be compassionate, loving and…

It started with bananas that I picked up at the store today. I usually don’t notice the stickers — Chiquita lady, Dole symbol-thing, whatever. But when I put this particular bunch on the kitchen counter, I saw this weird sticker. I know these are from Chiquita because the lady sticker is also there. But what…