Something in the Air

A storm was rolling in Friday, but I rode my bike anyway, and it didn't rain. I did, however, log my 1,000th mile this year. I'm pretty darned excited!

On the way home from work that day, I had to hang out beneath an overpass while lightning danced all the way around me.


We spent part of the three-day weekend in Colorado Springs for the 43nd Annual Labor Day Lift Off balloon festival. We had arranged to meet one of the adoptive families of my grands there. (The other adoptive family wasn't able to attend this time because they were celebrating one of the kiddo's birthdays in a HUGE way, with all kinds of amazing homemade Harry Potter creations!!!)






The balloons went up before the grands arrived, although we had mostly white sky. My balloon luck stroke kicked in once the grands arrived, and the balloons never went up again the entire three-day weekend. That's typically what happens when I go to a balloon festival.

Pikes Peak logged its first snow accumulation of the coming season. Summer snow! (Calendar autumn doesn't officially arrive for another couple of weeks!)


Each time I went to the International Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque never had the balloonists do a static display, inflating balloons, even though they were grounded due to wind. Colorado Springs' decision to let the pilots inflate their balloons was a huge hit, especially with Star Wars-loving kiddos!




One of the pilots let children roll the air out of the envelope (the balloon) after the wind decided there would be no more fun, blowing down many of the inflated balloons.


Following the balloons, kids of all ages took to the stage each day for a doughnut-eating contest.


We offered to sign up the grands who wanted to participate when they arrived. Unfortunately, the youngest contestant slots sold out before we reached the registration table. So I bought a dozen doughnuts for the kids to eat in their own little contest during the official contest. The kids decided they wanted to go hands-free just like the official contest.














These kids had a chocolate blast!

After the contest, I sat down in the grass to change my camera batteries. Before I knew it, my lap was full!


One of the best weekends in a while. Even though the kids didn't get to see the balloons launch.

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Project Blizzard

gifts handmade by my four-year-old neighbor
Welcome to 2013 and to my first winter smile collection of the entire year! This is my 1,000th published post! I didn't plan it this way at all!!!





Last Project Blizzard, I accidentally forgot to include one very big November smile. When the weather is bad, The Lizard and I like to spend an hour or two in a bookstore. During an early November visit, I stumbled upon an extremely reasonably priced copy of Jean Leinhauser's "365 Crochet Stitches." I'd had it on my wishlist since... probably since electronic wishlists were invented.

Sadly, we lost Jean, the Crochet Queen, in 2011. Her OOP (out of print) books skyrocketed in price. I had no hope of ever landing the handy little daily crochet calendar I'd wanted so long.

I felt almost as if I was stealing from the bookstore when I checked out. How lucky for me the bookstore didn't know what a goldmine it had on its shelves for just $24.95!!!


December had moments (and days) absent of smiles, didn't it? Sometimes the world can seem so dark, so lost, so hopeless. But goodness is out there. I had to look hard last month to find joy. My search was successful.

There were a few more absolutely brilliant sunrises.


I was able to turn some of those sunrises into snowflake inspirations via a kaleidoscope photo editing program.








Our new lunchroom at work offers more daylight than I can soak up in one hour.








When my workgroup moved to a new floor, we all had to take home all personal stuff, then bring it back after we were done moving. While moving my tiny portable studio and first digital camera back to the office, I committed the unpardonable sin. The old dinosaur camera hit the pavement. Hard.

It's been a tank through ten hard years now, surviving several such accidental drops, including two total immersions. (Yes, I baptized my first digital camera. Twice. Although not intentionally either time. The electronic technology converted me, so only fair I returned the favor, right?)

This most recent bouncing spill, however, the camera body did not fare as well. Perhaps it's getting old, like me, and resenting what it gets put through. The Lizard carefully and skillfully applied a little duct tape (to the camera, not me), and presto! My little Fuji works again!



Indian summer tricked some of my bulbs into growing again. And then winter returned. I moved five pots of greenery inside before they could freeze. No flowers yet, but the little babies are showing me every day how much they appreciate a nice warm house and a grow light.



We had never known the name of three plants The Lizard inherited from his father, until November when one of them began doing something we didn't know to expect and I published photos of the progress in a Wordless Wednesday. Marigold let us know these tropical treats are dwarf umbrella trees. And the little pinecone-looking formations turned into itsy bitsy firecracker-like flowers!




I've been asked once again to be an official photographer for the 2013 Youth Trek. !!!



The Lizard and I have been donating blood together for about seven years now. In December, we got to donate side by side for the first time ever.



I got behind in crocheting around one rock every week during the office move, but I've caught back up.


Most noteworthy this month, in my opinion, have been a pair of snowflake drives. The first, snowflakes for the family and small children of a needlecrafter who died suddenly after Thanksgiving, made me long for another drive after the world went dark December 14. Then three Ravelry members pointed me to the Connecticut PTSA's request for snowflakes for the new elementary school. (The PTSA now has enough snowflakes; they have a semi truck FULL!!!!!!!!!!)

Making snowflakes has always been a healing thing for me. Viewing snowflakes, the ones made by chilly temperatures, has always had a peaceful and calming effect on me, perhaps because I grew up in the desert and they were so rare. Sending snowflakes as gifts has always felt like a perfect way to send love across the miles to places I could not be.

I wait anxiously with hope that someone might share photos of the donated snowflakes that likely will completely cover the walls and ceilings of the new school. Perhaps some special snowflakes will be given to the families who lost someone.

Wouldn't it be cool if snowflakes became a new international symbol for love and friendship?!?


NOTE: I had to close this post to comments due to the high number of comments being attempted by fake fans.

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Project Blizzard

"Project Smile" began in 2010, if memory serves correctly, thanks to another photographer, who, like me, battles depression during winter months, due to lack of daylight. (Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD)

The project goal was to capture photos of things that bring smiles, thereby creating a natural and fun tool to fight depression. I participated the entire first winter and then was heartbroken (and depressed!) when it didn't continue in 2011. Because I love snowflakes and winter (even though it's a difficult time for me emotionally and sometimes even physically), I launched my very own project, taking the new name of Project Blizzard because, as it turns out, the name Project Smile already belongs to a very worthy charity, as well as numerous dental charities that provide impoverished children with toothy smiles.

Before the first page of November 2012 ever opened, I came up with an idea to shoot the sunrise every day of this month. Ever since I moved to Colorado, I've noticed November sunrises are THE best. Plus, sunrises make me smile. Sunrises give me a reason to get up each morning during the cold, dark winter.

The first winter I did this project, my participation lasted from September through March. Last winter, I needed only three months, November through January. I'm pretty excited I was able to stave off unwanted SADness again this year until now, and I'm hoping this tool will help others who suffer similarly.

So here's to another hopefully winning battle this winter...


On November 11, the sunrise was completely clouded over.


Two hours later, the sun finally popped out, and I made good use of a graduated brown filter.


November 26 was yet another gray day, with hints of snow instead of sun. In addition, I was scheduled for a medical procedure that day. So before my appointment, I drove to the most bleak and lonely place I could think of for my ugly sunrise. When I got back home, Photoshop to the rescue!


Thanksgiving in Grand Junction was a reminder of my childhood in New Mexico, with mountains on the east side and more brilliant sunsets than sunrises. While the Grand Junction sunrises were nothing to write home about, the sunsets illuminated my soul and my creativity, while bringing back a most precious humorous memory. (The Elk Charmer photo is my hilarious memory, NOT The Lizard deleting his blog!)






Full moon the last two days of November provided a spectacularly different type of sunrise.




Many more things made me smile this month.


Multiple colors of Christmas cacti are blooming in the same pot!!!


My windflowers, decimated by mealy bugs during the summer, were tricked by our Indian Summer throughout November into sprouting all over again. They may have earned themselves a trip inside the house next freeze!


On November 3, Greeting Card Universe informed me one of my cards had been selected as Card of the Day.


I don't typically get on the internet too much on weekends, but this, I had to see!


During the first weekend of November, we had snow and brrrrrr cold. I replanted some itsy bitsy little pots a co-worker gave me in a Secret Santa exchange nearly a decade ago.








They're growing! They're growing!


On moving day at work, I couldn't closely monitor the hit count on my most popular pattern, the Light Rail Snowflake. Sure enough, during a box-shuttling trip, the counter advanced.


My first 100K post.


My second 100K post came five days later.


Once again, I missed the zeroes.


In August, I began a commissioned project to benefit the Colorado Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. On November 10, I finished tiny bear #12!


Christmas lights...


Oh, how I love Christmas lights!


And snowflakes! Oh, how I love snowflakes!




I'm not so good with The Lizard's video camera yet. But I love our little four-foot, 17-year-old fiber optic tree! (Music is a perenial favorite: Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.)


Our first tiny present beneath the tree. (Shhh! It's a surprise for The Lizard!)




NOTE: I had to close this post to comments due to the high number of fake fans attempting to post comments with dangerous links.

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