Rainee's World

2011-06-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well, look at me! An online friend mentioned she'd looked at my blog, and I had forgotten all about it. Glad to see I'm still here after these 4 absent years.

My Beautiful Babies

2008-11-13T00:22:00.000-08:00

Megan and Maycie....8 months later

2008-11-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, my. It's been around 8 months since I posted anything here. Since the last picture was of the babies, my granddaughter, Megan, and great granddaughter, Maycie, I thought I'd show you how they look now. :)

Megan and Maycie

2008-03-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

Two little human angels and one 4 legged angel who thinks of himself as a furry guardian. He is so curious and gentle with the babies. He likes just being near them. Until they cry. lol He looks at me like "what's wrong? Can't you fix it?"

Maycie Jewel Len-Snell

2008-02-11T11:28:00.001-08:00

My new little great grandaughter, Maycie.

We, all those in Rainee's World, are baby-blessed with all the lavishness of God's grace.

Two little girls have entered our world and will forever change our paths.

Welcome, Maycie Jewel. G Gramma loves you with all her heart.

2008-02-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

I don't seem to get to my blog very often. Shame on me! My granddaughter, Angel, is staying with me for awhile, and both of us on the computer means less time for me. :)

My newest grandbaby, Megan, is two months old now. What a joy she is. And my granddaughter, Angel, will have her little Maycie soon. She is due on Valentine's Day. :)

My mind is continually on my sis, Faye. She has such peace with this Cancer thing. She's had so many things happening with her treatment. Almost everything that could go wrong has, and still, she is steadfastly being her wonderful self. She is the way she's always been. Positive and not one to borrow tomorrow's trouble. I so admire her. She hasn't lost her hair so far! And she bought some neat hats and scarfs too. She hasn't been taking any pictures, for those who follow her blog, but I know she will when she is ready.

I couldn't sleep tonight and decided I needed to create something. :) I don't have a title for it, it was just where I ended up once I started with no agenda or ideas.

Oregon Coast slideshow

2008-01-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

I'm learning how to do the slideshow with music. These are some photos I've taken of the Oregon Coast. The wonderful music is Andrea Bocelli, one of my very favorite singers. I uploaded it to Vimeo, a place that someone told me about. You can upload your videos for free!

http://www.vimeo.com/604741

Happy Holidays

2007-12-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

It's getting closer.........yes, it is. Everything around town is beginning to be graced in crisp reds, velvet greens, shiny silver and gold, and lots and lots of colored lights. I like driving around looking at all of the decorated yards, with different lighted scenes. Manger scenes are my favorites. One home has life size characters (they seem that large to me)with shepherds and sheep, Mary, Joseph, our Saviour...Baby Jesus...and wise men and cows and hay and straw and rough boards and...did I say lights. It's really pretty. I hope they're out again this year.

And here is my contribution toward Christmas for now. I used a computer painted background I'd done earlier and added cute little tubes to come up with this. It was fun doing and made me smile. :)

Megan Rene Kirk

2007-12-01T21:11:00.001-08:00

This is the newest member of our family. She was born today, December 01, 2007, at 9:45 am. Proud mama and daddy are doing well. Gramma is waiting for her to get home she can sit in a rocker and hold her for a long time and stare into her eyes and try to grasp the secrets of Heaven.

Storm At Sea

2007-12-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

I was thinking tonight, well, last night....I've been up all night...of how I need to keep my focus on Jesus in the middle of a storm. I started painting and this is what I ended up with.

Two Alone

2007-11-25T19:06:00.001-08:00

I discovered the fun of making "moons". :) This moon is just a circle with texture and then I added a glow. The rocky, or dirt hill... whatever it chooses to be, was made by me. The tree was from a tube, and I added reflective color to the tree and mountain. I wasn't sure if it needed anything else. After all, when you look at this, you can see that it's about the moon and the little tree. And they are fine being alone. :)

I know each image, whether painted, tubed, or any other means of creation, is still art. I find I feel that if I didn't do it free hand, painting or drawing, I must explain myself. I hope I get past that. This is just waaaay fun.

Harvest Moon

2007-11-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

My try at rain. :)

2007-11-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

This was from a lesson in my animation group. I thought I'd post this, and later maybe another when I get better at it. :) Since I'm crazy over rain, it seemed appropriate that I quickly learned how to create my own. (Don't worry, God.....I know who really makes rain.) ADDED: If you want to see "my rain"...you need to click on the picture first.

Mosaic Antique Frame

2007-11-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is another of the tutorials that came through the group I belong to. I liked doing it so much I decided to post it here. I think I may have posted the photo before, but the frame is a new addition.

As I look at this frame, it reminds me of one of those balls that hang in a dance hall...you know where the lights sparkle and send rays all over. haha I think it was the disco age.

You disco agers........is that right?

Hanging By A Thread

2007-11-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

I looked for some Fall colors today. Finally I came home and found this little leaf in my back yard. You can't see it, but it is held by just a wisp of a spider web. If not for the web, attached to the branch, it would have fallen to the ground days ago.

I decided to give it a frame. After doing that, I decided, no, it didn't need an ornate frame. I looked at it for awhile, and finally left it. I have a hard time making up my mind anyway. If I wait long enough, I can change my mind about most things.

Not all things. Some, such as faith and love for God and love for man....all of His creation, will never change. I don't mess with the things that I'm sure of. In this world, there are so few things we can "be sure of". Things change continuously, and we are subject to the wind of change. It's good to know that everything around me can change, but I am held by God Himself. And as this little leaf will someday fall to the ground, being dependant on one single thread, I am held by One who is greater than all. If I fall, I fall into Him. If I am held, I am held by Him. My Creator is the same Creator of this little leaf, and the spider, and the seasons...........

Tonight I feel God's peace all around me.

Rainee's World

2007-10-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

I decided to post the image I did for my last lesson....number 125. I finished it today.

This isn't much of painting, but more of using techniques (drop shadows, lighten-darken tool, paint mixing palette, etc. I found you can really use the lighten- darken tool to create movement in "water".

It was hard ending up with something I could write a tut for. I just sort of started with a background color, a shape(circle ) another shape (water) and then decided white dolphins would be a good thing. I recolored my dolphin tube, put each on a separate layer and mirrored the last one. Then I used the Sketch 01 (I think included in PSP frames, as a frame.

I've called it Rainee's World because Rainee is a name I use sometimes online, and my world has always been about seeing what could be, seeing with my heart.

Clouds

2007-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Clouds are nice. I've always loved clouds. Faye, I know you do too.

I painted these in one of my Stepping Stones Through Paintshop Pro lessons. That's all. Just clouds. I don't care for the "sun" rays, but they were in the lesson so I did them. I took more freedom with the clouds. :)

I've learned some more about painting with PSP since I posted my last "painting". Mostly what you can do with different tools. I can see so much further in what I'd like to paint. What I really want to do is take some of Faye's (my sis)incredible photos and try to paint what I see.

Clouds have their own language, don't they? They praise God, speak His language, and reveal His glory....as all creation does.

I can paint!! :)

2007-10-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you know I've been taking Paint Shop Pro Lessons, then I'll also tell you that I learned how to dab paint on a blank image, and then use the smudge tool to 'paint' your picture.

This is the third one I've done. This has tapped a love in me that was hidden for a very long time. I love to sit and begin and see what will come. My next desire is to begin to "paint" to music. I want the music to move me into whatever it is that is there to be painted.

I never thought computers could be so much fun. I'm lovin' it.

Happy Birthday Ty and Rocko

2007-09-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday here on September 15. I felt bad for them. Last year included a special doggie cake, presents, a special dinner and lots of hugs. This birthday included a birthday song and some hugs.

These are my furry angels. They give so much more to me than I could ever give to them.

Meanderings On A Saturday

2007-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today is my grandson, Kaleb's, birthday. He is 7 this very day. His mom has planned a birthday party in the park, and rumor has it she's shopped for two days. She always overdoes, and always says she won't next year.
It's at two, so I'll spend time in the sunshine, maybe eat cake, and watch Kaleb open his presents.

Mine is just a black card from Walmart. My daughter went in with me and we bought a $40 gift card. Kaleb loves to shop, so this will suit him and help poor gramma and Aunt Kim out too. I hear that Ninja Turtles are back in style, but I'm not sure I trust myself to get the cool ones. I knew them all when my grandson, Kyle, was little. He's a big 21 now.

Well, my sister, Sue, is moving out. We both have been feeling this is the right time, and she's just been waiting for God to give her a nudge. He did in her heart and in circumstances. It's a good thing. We both need our own nest, our own space. I haven't lived in my house alone in a long time. Grandkids, Kyle, and then my son, Skeet. Then Angel, my grandaughter for awhile, and then my son, and then sister, Sue, and then my son and Sue. I'm ready to live large in this house and my need for alone space is part and parcel with the change of seasons.

We talked about a change of season in Sue's life too. She's had a lot of changes in the last year, but this is a good one. She's not running, she's making a choice and going in that direction. I know we've both enjoyed being together, and now truth is we'll both enjoy being apart. lol

I'm sitting looking at my hedge out the window. It's higher than it's ever been. It so needs to be cut back. My view from here is mostly nil. It costs money, and I have to budget everything, so the hedge waits. I'm just telling you this so I will be true to my title.

Daughter, Kim, just called. She's without a car today, so I'll go pick her up in a minute. She comes to visit every day. She sounded tired. Her little one plays and kicks all night, and sleeps during the day. lol She said she can't get comfortable. I remember those days. The last month was better, because you knew for sure you were getting somewhere and you'd get a baby in the end. haha Aren't babies wonderful? And I'll get two. Kim's is due around the first of December, and Angel is due in February.

Let's see.....I need a high chair, a play pen, and I need to shampoo the carpet before little feet and knees ever touch it. Do I need a bassinet? I guess the moms will take care of that. I guess I'd better get busy and stop meandering.

I love Saturdays. My day of doing nothing but meandering and partying.

Ugly Orange Pot

2007-09-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

This was made by using Selections in Paint Shop Pro. The lesson was fun, and we had a chance to be creative. I wish I knew why I chose this color. I don't like orange at all. This was made with layers and some tube greenery. This was lesson 62. I've learned so much about Paint Shop Pro that I never knew. The lessons are at your own pace, as long as you do at least one a week, and they start with the basics. Stepping Stones is a Yahoo group, and the best lessons I've found. And this is Rainee's World. :)

Another beautiful Face

2007-08-30T20:16:00.001-07:00

This my sweet Shadow cat. Shadow is a Maine Coon. She is a rescue from the shelter. Above her kennel was a hand written title, Barn Cat. She is gentle and loving and really is a barn cat. She lives in the attic above the garage. I should say "sleep" in the attic above the garage. She comes out to neutral territory to see the dogs, Tyson and Rocko. She tolerate each other but the only thing interesting about her to the dogs is her cat food.

This is her friendly face. :)

Another Beautiful Face 2

2007-08-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

A Beautiful Fall Face

I like seeing the dahlias start blooming because it means that soon summer will begin to fade , FALL will come waltzing in, and trailing a bit behind, all the lovely colors of the season.

Fall and Winter are my favorite times of the year. I appreciate that nature pulls back and inward, and most outward things in the plant world look like death, and are really sleep. Hidden things begin deep within the earth, silent and reverent in being and doing what God has designed them to do.

I believe we have the seasons in our lives as well. I know for sure I do. If I respect the spiritual season, bowing my will to follow my spirit into the place of replenishing and nurturing......silent and reverent....then a peace that is beyond understanding floods my soul. I am at peace with God and enter into His flow. What a wonderful place to rest. Jesus says that He will give us this peace in Himself. Resting in His peace is like Fall and Winter to me. I know it won't be forever....for seasons are not....but for now I'm entering into my inwardness and favorite time of the year.

So I've been in Spring and Summer.....maybe Summer far too long. :) I exist quite nicely in these seasons for awhile, but I LIVE, ABIDE, THRIVE in Fall and Winter.

.....and all this for a beautiful fall face.

Sicky Boy Better

2007-08-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Rocko is feeling better now. I was quite concerned, but it was just a bug of some kind, I guess. The vet gave him something for his tummy, and Rocko fasted for two days. On the third day, I made some gruel and sort of forced him to take it. He looked at me in surprise, like he'd forgotten what food tasted like, and started licking the syringe. I gave him water, and fed him a little more and he was fine from then on.

This picture is how he spent most of this time. He found a good spot and covered himself with his blanket. I guess it made his stomach feel better. He layed like this most of one day.

It is so great to see this little guy all spunky again.

Peaceful Day

2007-08-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

I like hanging out at the docks sometimes. :) Some days are perfect for photo taking and this day was a good one. This is just one of the shots I took of the fishing boats, and then at sunset got a few more.

And on to more pictures..

Stroll On The Beach 1

2007-08-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Stroll On The Beach2

2007-08-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

What's the Old Woman Up To?

2007-08-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

Not much, I'm afraid. But all of it good. :)

I haven't taken any new pictures, so decided to let you see what I did today. This tutorial wasn't really anything we could take and make our own. The PSP selections were downloaded, the tea pot base was one, and two others were for decorations. Then using an inner bevel, drop shadow and glass effect using Eye Candy 3.1...we have it.
When they tell you exactly what to do, there isn't much room for creativity.

I decided to do the background and create a table effect using an oval selection and drop shadow. Also the Rose is a tube I made from one of my roses.

This is the best I can do for today. We had some great weather for picture taking today, sun with lots of clouds and interesting shadows. I didn't get out, however, because my little Rocko is sick and hasn't eaten all day. I didn't want to leave him. I hope he's better tomorrow. Whenever they're sick....I feel it right with them. :)

Oh, yes...and it rained last night!! It RAINED. Rainee's World is going to be rainy soon. I'm ready.

Looking Up

2007-08-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling lighter and brighter and looking out and up and smiling a lot. :) I feel the Presence of God like a sweet whisper into my soul.

If I explored the spiritual seasons (and I have and do)I would find that they are as sure as the waves washing against the shore full and free in the time of high tides and then, just as sure, the ebbing where the waters are not allowed to wash freely. Both are very much a part of the whole and necessary to the order of things.

Spiritual truths and realities are just as orderly and seasonal. I think everything God created in the natural world is to reveal a parallel spiritual truth.

In times of going inward, where nothing outward looks fruitful, the work is being done within. And every time, I forget. Perhaps even forgetting is a part of the process. Faith in God's work in me. Faith that I am His and He is committed to completing the work in me. I've always spoken of destiny. Each of us have a destiny. As I get older, I wonder if I have often thwarted God's plan for me, or if that's possible.

I think He keeps my mind in forgetfulness of the feel of His touch during these dry times, so that I will not rely on yesterday. I am on a sacred journey, a holy invitation into the heart of God. It's for each of us who will.

Thank you so much for sharing this time with me and being so kind and compassionate in your responses. It blesses me more than you can know.

This picture says it all. I'm still feeling inward but definitely up. And I see a loving Father looking back....and I see angels with names like Jane and Faye and Sandy and BJ and Crusty Crone and Wanda. :) Jane, you have been a friend for a long time. I've not been a good friend to you, but you have to me.

resting in love, Nita

Empire, Sunset and Thoughts

2007-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Just going back over some of my pictures and found another sunset one. :)

I must be in the dark-side-of-the-moon now. I don't think I'm depressed, but I can't seem to reach out either.
I've been here before, and always before, I would just let the flow take me in, and find that place within each of us where we meet with God. It seems so silly that we find any and all reasons not to be still and quiet allow God to touch us. I confess silliness. And as I type, I am seeing something. It's not that I have nothing to say or share, it's that the only thing I could talk about is where I am now, and right at the top is my need for the Lord's touch. My heart feels cold. Yep, I've been here before, and I never like it, but I always learn something about myself, and about my relationship with Christ Jesus.

I can go day after day and talk to friends about Him....read the Words He has spoken in the Bible, and do all the right things that look good, but in my heart, He feels far away. Someone once said that if you feel far away from God's heart, you moved, He didn't. I only know I miss my heart loving Him. There is no other feeling in the world like knowing you are loved by God, and feeling your heart melt with the awesome truth that what you feel for Him is real love and right love and for Him alone.

You'd think I would stay in that place always. I don't think I "fit" anywhere but there. And still I wander away, like a child, and though I know He is watching over me, I lose the intimacy that is mine in daily turning my mind and heart toward Him.

I almost didn't write. My big deal in life is trying not to offend a single soul. Isn't that silly? Of course I'll offend! I can look at it logically and see that, yet my choices still seem to be not to cause anyone hurt or offend or put out or whatever.... and I lose myself. Maybe not lose myself, but lose sight my own uniqueness while applauding everyone elses. You ever do that?

What a hodgepodge of thoughts here. I'm not too focused tonight. That's ok. Not all things are focused.....somethings blurred become beautiful in hindsight. I'll take that.

G'night from lala land on the coast, Nita

In My Dreams

2007-08-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

I created this for my grandson. It was originally a photo of Empire Lakes with a tiger tube. We played with colors and did a negative effect. It was decided this could be dream colors, and so it is.

Paint Shop Pro Playtime

2007-08-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is a photo taken of Charleston, Oregon, from the docks. I used Paint Shop Pro's Arithmetic function to combine another photo of Bastendorff Beach. . Anyway....open two images you want to combine, then with one activated, go to IMAGE/ARITHMETIC. That will superimpose one onto the other. There are settings that I'm not familiar with yet, so this was an experiment.

It is certainly different than the originals.

Just playing around and still feeling quiet.

2007-07-25T22:02:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd come and let you know that I'm alive and well, and mostly in my right mind. :)

I was looking for something to post and found this. This is my granddaughter, Angel.

I'm still taking Paint Shop Pro tutorial lessons, and I'm to the place I have to create my own tutorial, explaining with instruction and screenshots. I don't have a problem with that, but staying to task is harder. I never write down, or remember, the steps I took or what effects I used to get the final image. Maybe tomorrow I can sit myself down, paper in hand, and make notes to create a simple tutorial. That will be my last lesson until September 1.

On The River

2007-07-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

I almost didn't post today, but here I am tonight.

I sat on the riverbank today. The green, lush, grass spread along the bank and I sat in it with my fishing pole line dangling down into the clear blue water. I could see fish swarming, but no chance I'd catch one. I didn't use a hook. I just like the feeling of fishing, not actually catching one.

I had friends with me. It was a friends kind of day. Three friends sat and watched me from a distance. Two on a park bench and one on the grass in front. We all had a lovely day. The sun was shining, a soft breeze carried along the sweet fragrance of blooms from everywhere.

We sat together, we good friends, in mostly silence, yet in all intimacy. Our hearts laughed together and understood about friends and fishing and dreams and such....

I'm blessed to find friends such as these, and to spend time with them on such a magnificent day.

I have another friend, who is called Jane. She isn't furry or quiet, but she's very nice. She sits on park benches and loves green grass and blue sky. I haven't seen this friend for a very long time, because I hide myself away a lot.

Someone took a picture of us today. You'll recognize me. I'm the one with the fishing pole....there I am...sitting on the bank. Sandy is on the grass, Mia and Oscar on the bench.

We gathered ourselves up when it was time to do just that, and as friends often do, they stayed inside my head till now.

Some folks would call my friends, "just tubes" and, in fact, say the entire picture was created using tubes and my friends don't even exist at all. And if they did, I'd just say, "Oh?" There's not much to say to such people.

G'night friends, Nita

On The River

2007-07-21T22:35:00.001-07:00

Remembering MO

2007-07-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

My brother was a great musician and singer. He played guitar like they were one spirit. When he'd play blues harp, he wrapped his entire being around that thing. I loved to watch his movements as he played. He was gifted and real and he was music from his head to his toes. He was well known and admired by local musicians and band members.

We gathered around many a campfires, guitars playing, voices harmonizing. This was our family. Friends and family, kids and adults, would sit and stare into the flames, listening as Mo would begin to caress the strings and play as only he could.

Though alcohol robbed so much from him, and finally his life.........I try to forget that and remember what he gave in his music. His life was way to short.

Today my daughter gathered up some of the tapes we'd made through the years, wanting to edit them down to one and give to a friend of his. She also printed out this picture for him. I thought I'd post it here to share. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

I love you, Morris.

WELCOME PAMMY J

2007-07-18T14:58:00.001-07:00

Welcome to blogging, Pam. You'll have fun posting your pictures here.

Everyone, PAM is another sister of ours. We are Faye, Nita, Sue and Pam. Not listed in age order, but in blogging time order. :) (Except that Pam is the youngest, and I'm the oldest. Faye and Sue will have to duke it out for middle position. :)

Pam has some beautiful pictures. She also has this weird sense of beautiful and is my laughter button. Also a terrific mom and wonderful sister and other mushy stuff.

love you, Nita

Sunday Evening

2007-07-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to drive out to the beach and try to catch a sunset Sunday evening. I took a few pictures, I've posted two, but then saw a dog that looked lost.

This sweet Border Collie walked up to my car, panting, and asking if I knew where he might find his family. He was in the middle of a large parking area, so I drove on to where cars were parked along the jetty. None knew who he belonged to, but one lady had water in a cup. A man found the phone number on his tags, but no one was home.

I spent the better part of the beautiful sunset driving around looking for a pet owner who looked like he'd lost his best friend. I didn't find anyone in the camping area, so drove back to the jetty to report in.

When I left, he'd settled in with a family who had a young boy about 6. They were piling wood for a fire on the beach, dog and boy getting acquainted. I'm counting on it being a happy ending.

And I didn't get one picture of the dog. lol

The beach was filled with lovers, families, kids, old folks...most cozying up, waiting for that special time when the sun ends its watch and fills the sky with glory.

Monday Show And Tell

2007-07-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

OK. So it's not early morning or anything but it IS still Monday. :)

This is a before and after picture I wanted to share. Lovin' my Paint Shop Pro! Blessings, Nita

2007-07-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

Play with us?

2007-07-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

I've been taken Paint Shop Pro lessons. I guess some of you know.

Anyway...I've been using layers and drop shadows, so decided to make these little guys (tubes) on different layers.

They looked like they would love to have someone come and play. Don't they look sort of sad and waiting?

Have a blessed day. I have company still, so won't be back in till Monday.

Stone Seals?

2007-07-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

These stone formations look like seals......if you're tired and your glasses need cleaning. :) Can you see them?

And I seem to have an "S" theme going tonight. From Stone Seals on to Stacks of Stakes.

Stack Of Stakes 1

2007-07-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

I was going to delete this picture of a stack of garden stakes sitting in an old bucket. I'd been looking at pics on the computer and found it. I don't know why I even took the picture. Probably just trying out new settings. Anyway, I decided to use such an ordinary thing to play with Paint Shop Pro tonight.

Time can sure get away from you. :) After all the time I spent playing with it, I just felt it deserved to be on my blog....even if it's just for awhile.

I could have saved it for show and tell. lol

A Stack Of Garden Stakes 2

2007-07-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

.....after Paint Shop Pro .... I used my Spooky filter, then kaleidescope, Distortion, and then borders and other stuff I can't remember. When I start playing with an image I get lost. The final creation isn't all that great, but I know the time invested in playing so whatever it turns out to be......it is. lol

Slumpy Blog Day

2007-07-10T08:03:00.002-07:00

Good morning from my corner of the world. The sun has broken through morning fog. The rest of the Pacific Northwest is readying for a very hot day, but here on the Oregon coast, temps of 72 -94 are predicted. Guess who gets the 72. Yep. It's me. :) It could be a little warmer, but I really feel for those who are in the hot, hot, hot areas.

I'm sitting here.......typing a few words....looking out the window...typing again. Nothing could be more boring for posting to a blog than the generic weather notes. :)

Maybe tomorrow I'll come back with something interesting. I seem to be in a slush, slump, boggish place. :)

I'm thinking of you and checking your blogs. Nita

2007-07-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been away a few days. Gosh, the days just slipped by and I didn't get back. I've been busy doing some Paint Shop Pro lessons...and being outside....and hiding away. (I might as well admit it) :) I do that at times.

I wanted to post three of my son's photos. He went out the other day, and evening, and took these. He borrowed my "old" camera, my Olympus. He's a really good photographer I think, and I wanted him to see what they looked like on a page.

So.......Here's Skeet's photos. I hope you enjoy them.

2007-07-09T20:39:00.001-07:00

2007-07-09T20:36:00.001-07:00

2007-07-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hearts Attached

2007-07-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tyson loves my daughter, Kim. She was there when he was born. He's known her gentleness and doggie love all of his life. Rocko is the same. They hear her car before I do, run to the couch to see. Rocko jumps to the back of the couch, and Tyson simply stands to look out. They watch her intently as she rounds the house and then run to the door to greet her. She spends time with each one, until they are ready to let her go. I think Kim is the gentlest person I know. Dogs know this. They adore her.

Kim is also pg. It will be fun seeing all of this "doggie love" transferred to a little human baby....a miracle ,as they all are. There will be adjustments and changing roles as they see "their Kim" with an exciting moving, noisy thing in her lap instead of them.

Kim's other "baby" is almost 18. She's a human girl. :)
Life is always changing.

I'm blessed beyond measure to be in the family God has given me....and the daily life I live. I can't think of anything I'd want for myself.

...well, maybe a truck. lol

Happy Forth Of July

2007-07-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

These are my boys....watching "fireworks". :) I thought they were so cute looking into the night. Rocko is on the right, Tyson on the left. The only difference is Tyson is 20 lbs and Rocko 14. And of course personalities.

Rocko is the verbal one, very affectionate and playful. He's an instigator, but wants his brother to come too. Tyson is a healer of wounds...spiritual, emotional and every other kind of wound. He lays by anyone needing him, and looks into their eyes. When Sue was going through a bad time, he would sit in her lap, lean his head back on her chest, and just look into her eyes. When my grandaughter was here and sick, he wouldn't leave the bed until she'd fall asleep. He's one of those very special dogs. Don't tell Rocko I said that. :)

I love them both the same.:)

Seaside Gathering

2007-07-03T22:28:00.001-07:00

This was taken at another Bandon get together. We bribed the seagulls with food and they hung around to give us some photo ops. :) They're so curious and unafraid....as long as there is the opportunity to get more food.

Today has been so warm and beautiful. My grandson is here (6 year old Kaleb) and he and his dad have been bike riding, fort building, ice cream eating, and are somewhere on the docks now..watching our July 3 fireworks over the bay. Tomorrow night the city does their display. Also over the bay.

I'm staying home and keeping my boys (dogs) from being frightened of the noise. :)

That's been my day. Not much going on here.

Garbage Day

2007-07-02T10:31:00.001-07:00

Monday! The beginning of a new work week! And garbage pickup day.

We used to haul our cans down to the side of the pavement and sit them any old way. When the new trucks were automated, cans had to be lined up exactly as instructed....open side to the road. Everything was to be automatic...cans picked up, dumped in the truck bed, and both employees sitting inside the truck. I, not being privy to such information, don't know what's happening, but most times someone still gets out of the truck and dumps the can.

I had to run to the bank this morning and noticed all the green cans sitting neatly by the road, waiting to be emptied. I've never noticed that before. Or maybe the garbage man is just really late and that's why they're all still there. House after house, green can after green can. I was surprised to see how many were overflowing, and the lids not closed. I wonder about things like that. Aren't they afraid of dogs dumping the mess all over? Me...I like a nice neat can, fully closed, liner intact.

I won't put raw meat in my garbage can. It's a respect thing. The smell of raw, rotting meat isn't a good thing, Martha. I zap the meat, or the Styrofoam containers, in the microwave. :) It only takes a second, and the garbage man doesn't have to smell it. He never even knows what I saved him from. It's the least I can do.

How much thought do we give to the garbage men?

.........and that's all I have to say about that.

One Mans Treasure

2007-07-01T18:49:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken from a train in Astoria, Oregon. A small train for tourists runs multiple times a day along the water on the old track. Open windows made it easy to snap this as we chugged by.

Someone went to all this work to create something so attractive....just so someone like me could see. Isn't that cool? I was tickled to find this in my pictures. I'd forgotten it.

Meet Kim, Tyson and Rocko.

2007-06-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

This is my daughter, Kim, and my furry friends and companions, Tyson and Rocko. They are almost 3.

My grandaughter named them. I'd never choose to name these guys names like Tyson and Rocko. She named Rocko after "Rocko's Modern Life" and Tyson was named after a pair of pajama bottoms her mom had....with little white dogs and the name "Tyson". I gave in.

Actually I wanted their mom, and found her at the shelter. She was pregnant though I didn't know that. She was such a darling, and had been abused by a terrible breeder, breeding her year after year. She had her pups in her brand new whelping box built by Kim's husband, Paul, and behind my rocker sheltered with a blanket. She was so fearful of anyone but Kim and I. She never did get used to my family, and after the pups were weaned, and she only got more fearful and I was afraid she'd bite the grandkids (who had learned to stay far away from her) I had to find her a new home. I cried. I know she did too. We had her spayed so she would never have to go through that again and started looking for a forever home for her. The home I found had a picture of a dog over their fireplace. She looked exactly like Amy. I knew it was the right place. I still think of her. The woman who took her called me to say she was the best dog they've ever had.

I didn't want to keep boy dogs. haha I wanted to keep one of the little girls. But my granddaughter fell in love with Rocko The Brave and Mr Tyson With The Magnificant Tail chose us. Now I can never imagine choosing any other but these two. We found homes for 3 little girls.

They are a part of my family and two of my very best friends. They love Sue as they do me. They think of Kim as another mom. Their sweet presence, silly and playful, or times of looking deep in my eyes and speaking with their hearts, have blessed me so much. They are entertainment and they are my soft place.

Pet's complete humans, I think.

Oh, yes...and I love my sweet daughter, Kim, too. lol

Antique Rose

2007-06-28T17:18:00.001-07:00

This was a rainy and windy day. A perfect day to stay inside and play with Paint Shop Pro. I kind of like this Antique Rose creation. The roses are from a photo I took at Shore Acres, the frame was original bamboo, and I used a sandstone texture in PSP to give it the antique look. I may not like it tomorrow, but today I do. :)

Sea Churn

2007-06-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

From The Boardwalk

2007-06-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

I took a walk on the boardwalk late afternoon and took these pictures.

I'm still trying to become friends with this camera. :)

Beautiful Pacific

2007-06-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Just an ocean fix...:) As a native, I prefer the stormy sea and crashing waves, but this is peaceful too.

Day's End

2007-06-25T03:25:00.000-07:00

I decided to look through some older photos and found this sunset from one of our Bandon family gatherings.

This was taken almost from the front door of our vacation house. How cool is that?? :)

Cape Arago Park view

2007-06-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I took my new camera out today. I don't think I was happy with one picture. :( I know I'll get the hang of it, but none of the pictures seemed clear to me. This is the only one I even considered posting (out of 43).

Maybe the lighting. It was so bright there were times we couldn't even see the monitor to see what we were framing. :)

I tried to keep mine on the auto set most of the time, but it didn't work obviously.

I was a little let down after all that, but uploaded, looked at photos, deleted photos, took a nap, and came back to find just one I could show you of our beautiful scenery. For everything there is a purpose... I don't want to forget. I guess that applies to crappy photos? :)

Poor Sue........her battery died before she got one ocean picture. :( She did lots of pictures of the roses in the garden, as did I.

Maybe a sunset would be better.....

Glorious Day

2007-06-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

I was awake at 4 am, up at 5.

Coffee on, my lovely hazelnut creamer, and watched the sun come up. At the moment it's shining through the blinds, casting shadows on the wall behind me.

I love the morning time. I usually grab my favorite fuzzy throw, my Bible, a hot cup of coffee, and head out to enjoy the first of the day. Reading in Psalms always blesses me. And Ephesians or Galations, reminding myself of who I really am.

Someone has called me "very spiritual". I am. I am. :) We spend so much in just getting by in the natural, we forget the absolute necessity of feeding our spirit. If I don't take the time to do that, I find myself becoming impatient, short sighted, and quickly old. When I nurture my spirit, in prayer and meditation, in listening to heart stirring music, in being out in nature and walking and talking with God, I understand that within I am ageless and my journey exciting and fulfilling.

If I don't allow the time to hear God speak to my heart, I'm a mess. And so I make it a priority to shush my heart, preparing a place for God and I to meet together, and I am always blessed.

If I can't give God just this portion of my day, something is wrong with my day. :) And it can get all crappy pretty fast.

Now, I'm ready for Sue to be up and we begin to think of our photo taking journey for this day.

Having my sister, Sue, living with me, is such a blessing. It took some adjustment, mostly on her part I think, but now we can see God's hand in it. I bet he smiled as he watched it happen, knowing she was just what I needed, and me for her.

I love all of my sisters. We've talked about that......how blessed we are to have each other.

I've just chatted away here, typing my thoughts out to who will read. This is my world....Rainee's World. It changes every day and yet stays the same. I sort of like it. :)

Betty's Roses

2007-06-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I was through posting roses, but I spotted this pretty rose just over the fence in my neighbor, Betty's, Yard. I love the colors.

Tomorrow sister, Sue, and I might drive out to Shore Acres State Park, filled with roses and other flowers. I take skillions of pictures, and usually keep two or three. Maybe I can take a few photos I want to keep.

I'm learning about my new camera. :)

Faye, you need to come see the ocean, and some sisters. :)

One more rose...

2007-06-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

This rose was taken at Shore Acres State Park.

I hope to get out to the beach this weekend with my new camera and will post some ocean pictures.

This is the last rose for now. :)

Tyson

2007-06-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

My grandson, Kaleb is staying here tonight. We picked him up not too long after the UPS man brought my new camera (love that man in the brown uniform).

I was playing around with the camera, trying different settings, reading the manual, etc. Kaleb kept wanting to take a picture. I kept putting him off. He's only 6. I gave him many reasons it might not be a good picture, explaining about the focus, how you need to rest your finger on this button right here....push it just halfway...see when the picture is really clear, in focus, and then and only then....you snap the picture. Oh, yes. I had to show him how to hold it too.

I put the strap around his neck, didn't want him to drop my new camera. He pointed it at Tyson, snapped the picture and said, "There, I think I got it."

I think he got it too. This is Tyson. :)

The John Rose

2007-06-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

And now, away from Blizzards and on to Roses.

Both of these roses are from one bush that rambles along a low fence. I said I couldn't grow roses, but this one does its own thing. I stay far away and just take photos now and then. I don't know what it's called. A friend, John Shipp, gave a start to my husband, and he got it from his mother. We gave it the name, "The John Rose" years ago. We all still call it that. One looks like a candy cane.

Blizzards and innocent calories

2007-06-20T11:19:00.001-07:00

I come with disheartening news today. Or maybe I'm the only one who didn't know. I can't say that after some innocent browsing through Nutrition Data.com.

Did you know that a small Dairy Queen Cookie Dough Blizzard has 675 calories? 675 calories!!

I'm too depressed to post anymore. And that's a SMALL Blizzard.

If you want to know the nutrients of your fast food fix, including the calories and fat, go to nutritiondata.com

It isn't pretty....but at least you'll know. :)

I never thought I'd be posting something like this on my blog...but it has to be said. haha

In Honor Of King Canute

2007-06-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Mandy posted a comment in my picture of Angel at the water, re King Canute. I just had to go see who he was, and found a man after my own heart. :)

You can read about him and see why I believe he was a very wise man.

I've put the link below:

King Canute On The Seashore

http://www.inspirationalstories.com/cgi-bin/printer.pl?91

My One Rose

2007-06-18T00:46:00.001-07:00

2007-06-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

I love playing with Paint Shop Pro. A great plugin is Optikverve Labs. I like the effects it offers. I think it's free too.

The first picture is after using the effects.

The second is the original photo.

This rose bush has only one bloom at a time. The plant is terrible looking and I keep thinking each year will be the last, but every year I save it for one more year. And I photograph it at least once.

I have two rose bushes...both sickly.

Something about me and roses...ya think?

If You Believe It....

2007-06-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is my grandaughter, Angel, speaking to the waters....:) I thought it made a good photo. I maybe should have lightened it, but didn't.

Bandon Beach

2007-06-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the beach. When it comes to photography, I've taken so many photos of sand, water, sunsets, etc that I'm actually tired of it.

BUT........................Yipee!! I'm getting a new camera with a bigger zoom, so I'm sure the excitement of becoming ZOOM WOMAN will take me back to the beaches and more sunsets. Next Thursday it will be here.

Back Roads

2007-06-13T15:32:00.001-07:00

My sister, Sue, and I took a back road when coming home from lunch with another sister, Faye, and a cousin. It was raining, and very few places to get out and take pictures. I snapped this barn through the windshield, in between the wiper swipes. You can see rain smears.

I was raised in the country. I'd love to do it again. :)

DISCOVERY

2007-06-11T22:49:00.001-07:00

Ordinary things

2007-06-10T21:50:00.001-07:00

I have a little white fence around the flower garden. It sometimes tilts, and I try to hammer it back down without breaking it. When I look out my kitchen window I can either see what's wrong, or what's right. :) I look past my leaning fence and spy the little Mexican Poppy (?) peeking from its corner of the bed. My sister's Pastor and his wife gave this to her for Mother's Day. We found a spot, and I planted it so it could have a place of honor. (I tell all my plants that. They believe me.)

I used my photo editing program to try to create a drawing of the Mexican Poppy and the Little White Fence.
It looks gentle and unassuming and pastel. I think I've always been living pastel. Sometimes I think there are vibrant colors in me, but when presenting to the world, I am pastel. lol

My sister, Faye, is a fantastic photographer. I love her passion for what her camera sees. She finds incredible beauty in the ordinary, and loves capturing her aging rural area. I want to link to her here. Which is very, very funny because no one but me, and now Faye, even knows this blog is here. But on the far chance that anyone ever sees, I'll have Faye's Fotos.

This blogging is new to me . Faye is my first link! She's always been my first link. :)

Ron's Rose

2007-06-09T23:25:00.001-07:00

When my husband, Ron, died, my daughter planted a rose bush for him. We've taken pictures of it every season since then. Today I took a picture, and then decided to play with it a bit. The one rose bloom left was hidden behind thorny stems, low on the bush. The morning rain had left drops of moisture. I stared at it awhile, trying to find a symbolic meaning to life. :)

I went to the house for the camera....played with it a bit using Paint Shop Pro.

Mom and Me

2007-06-06T22:07:00.001-07:00

I thought of mom today. I see her in me and understand her more than ever before. I miss her.

This picture is of mom and me.

Sunday Morning In The Sunshine

2007-06-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day I see out my window and within.

Bright rhododendron reds grace the front of my house, and they are what I see first. Along the drive way, two friendly wooden children stand waving to each passerby. My sis, Sue, brought them with her when she moved in with me. They are as cute as can be in their pastel colored painted clothing, big black eyes, a soft stroked smile. I smile back every time I come home.

My son, Skeet, has been mowing.... and mowing more. I hear the sound of the Weed Eater almost every day, as he tries to stay ahead of the work that a large yard produces. He is staying with me for now. His life is unstable right now, and this place, this home, has always represented stability and safety for whoever comes.

I sit out in the sunshine(I'm heading out as soon as I leave here)and count my blessings. God has surely favored me. :) My needs are small, but I am so rich. Above all, I need harmony. I feel that in my back yard.

I look around and see the efforts of each of us to contribute to the feeling of all. The flowers Sue planted last year are back. The little brick memorial out in the "back garden" area that Skeet has created in memory of his dad is beautiful in aged brown and tan brick. A single Fox Glove stands tall, surrounded by deep green Ivy clinging to the redwood fence. To the left a white climbing rose tries nobly to bloom despite the diseased leaves. For now, I leave it. Tiny white blooms cascade from spindly branches. How can I say "you haven't done enough. You are sick and ugly?" I'll plant petunia's in the rich dirt above the bricks and watch their bright colors bring beauty to the little sick rose. And when I sit and see....I'll smile at the love I am embracing. A flowering plum, having dropped it's petals long ago, offers limbs to hold three hanging baskets of flowers. One is from my son, two years ago on Mother's Day(it keeps blooming and I add seed), another is from my daughter, Rene, for Mother's Day this year, filled with lavish blooms, and the third is one that my youngest daughter, Kim, gave to her Aunt Sue because her children weren't near for Mother's Day. The colors are so vibrant and the blooms looks as though they'll be spreading joy for the full season. They are happy baskets, and I respond whenever I walk out the back door and see them.

Today I'll buy the potting soil to fill up the rest of the herb garden. We'll get herbs that we want, and have fresh herbs near.......right out the back door in a place created just for them.

I have been fasting since Wednesday. It's nothing I planned for, nothing I thought of Tuesday night....it just happened Wednesday morning as I sat out in the sunshine, reading the Bible. I drink watered vegetable juice.

There are some things that I need balanced in my life. Food, both physical for the physical body and spiritual for my Spiritual body. If I will feed my spirit by meditating on God's Word, spending alone time, heart to Heart, stillness to hear His voice, reading the Bible to find not only Christ, but my simple little self, then the balance will begin to take root in my life. I think this was what the fast was called for. I need to focus on what matters most. I know in these few days, I have come to the place of my First Love again. My heart is softened and willing to hear His whisper. Yesterday the presence of God was so heavy...as sweet heaviness...just a being together. It's almost as though, rather than "hearing" his voice, I "absorb" His will and his nature. If that doesn't make sense, it doesn't have to. :) God's love, in Jesus the Messiah, is beyond understanding. I feel His love pouring over me and into me, and that doesn't make sense to me. Why? I don't deserve this. I have come to understand one thing. God is Love. That's just who He is. I surrender to that Love. He said He would change me from Glory to Glory. Can you imagine? Can you imagine? Joy not measured by circumstances, peace and harmony are mine because they are His.

I'm writing to myself. I'm writing this because I am so filled up and cannot contain it. :)

Tomorrow may be another time of testing, or a valley experience, but today is mine and I'll hold it and love it and lean on Jesus' heart and just lift my face in awe.

So this is my day. A beautiful day, without and within.

The Back Yard

2007-05-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

We had no wind today! Unusual for the coast, but it was warm and still.

Every summer I look forward to sitting out in the early morning, my favorite deep red and blue fuzzy blanket over my lap, reading my Bible. That's my favorite time to read. Sitting out in the sweet air, my simple flower garden in view, and my two little guys...my canine companions... at my side....this is life. I try not to see things that need to be done. I end up looking.

We had rabbits once. Neighborhood dogs got into the yard and tried their best to ram the cage and get to the rabbits. It was frightening for them, and stressful for me. Every night they would come, and every night I'd try to chase them away. We bought a BB gun. I couldn't aim good enough. Finally we gave the rabbits away. I now have an old rabbit hutch, no way to move it, so I planted a climbing rose in front and thought it might grow over it. It didn't. The poor rose plant is diseased and pitiful looking. (I just can't grow roses!) Maybe I'll try Ivy. My husband, Ron, used to say that Ivy took over everything. Yes, I'll try Ivy. I thought of fake furry rabbits, but decided they'd just look like fake furry rabbits in a very well made cage. :)

Even the not so nice looking things have memories. I look and remember and remembering takes me to another times and memories of my yard.

So much life has happened here. Kids growing up in this yard. My husband used to spend hours working in this yard. He loved planting a vegetable garden. We always had that. No more. He planted dahlias and Irises and Foxgloves. They come back every year to remind me life and death...and seasons.

Now everything is simple. The grass is still green. The apple trees still bloom and produce. Lilacs are there every year. Now there is no vegetable garden, just a little herb garden.

Some things change, but the life picture I've taken of this yard hasn't changed. I've sat in my yard for over 30 years. That hasn't changed.

And the words in my Bible haven't changed. My understanding changes, grows, but the Words of God to me are forever and eternal. I'll close my eyes one last time and move into eternity, someone else will sit in my backyard, my grandchildren will have their own children. Time changes everything but God's promises.

I believe in my innermost being, God and I have a shared backyard. We enjoy each other, talk about the coming day. He promises me that He has left His Spirit, and that in Christ, we truly share one Spirit.

I think God's backyard is my backyard right now. Not just when I leave this life, but right now. He even likes my fuzzy blanket. :) In my heart, we sit together every morning.

Rainee

My First Blog

2007-05-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm 65 years old, female, and I've spent my entire life, all 65 years, without a Blog of my own.

I asked a friend, "Why do people blog? What do they say?"

"Just say whatever you want." She'd been blogging awhile.

What do I want to say? I'll have to think about that. Who wants to know what I did today? What I fed the dogs, or if I napped in my chair instead of pulling weeds?

No. I'll have to be more creative than that. Even if I'm the only one reading this blog, I need to be more interesting. Especially if I'm the only one reading, I need to be more interesting. After all....I'm doing this for entertainment. Right? Why do people blog? I guess I'll need to find out if I have anything to say.

Maybe, as I attempt a daily posting, I'll get it, and words will begin to flow. Maybe I'll find this river within that runs into ravines of thought, pools of quiet meditation, an inner spring that bursts forth as prose presses words to the surface in an explosion of poetry. Or maybe not.

For now, I'll ponder. I'm good at that. Rainee