Personal

From then to now: photo archives

by Lizl Bennefeld
Tree Branches
Clouds and Branches
Fruit and Leaves
Raindrops

Almost to the end of the photography workshop, and I am still going through the archives, back to front. I don’t really want to go to sleep, yet, but I must.

The day was busy. I spent the morning backing up photo files, books, and documents directories to an external hard drive, which I dropped off at the bank and brought back the previous back-up stored in the safe deposit box. Backed up my four computers, which took many hours. The smallest computer won’t talk to my 2T ext-HD, let alone the 4T, and so I have to copy the files to a flash drive, and then onto the backup HD. I have over 15 years of photo archives, most in jpg and pspimage formats.

Having gotten through the 50th Class Reunion for our college graduating class, I treated myself to a short (but suitable for winter) haircut. I’d let it grow out for the reunion; I think it was about an inch and a half long. It’s now half an inch in length, and I have scheduled my next haircut for the middle of December. Stopped at the local Barnes and Noble on the way home to buy a gift card to cover Nook Book purchases for the next month. I also bought the latest in Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series: The Bartered Brides; and The Book of Magic, edited by Gardner Dozois. Started Lackey’s book over supper, while the other of us went out to find a Subway Sandwich.

In the midst of that, there was a business meeting and election, consuming two and a half hours, at the marksmanship center. It was good to be at a meeting, again, after such a long bout of hypersensitivity to fragrances. I notice that I still am a bit hyperactive and having trouble sleeping. Oh, yeah? You think so? 

Saturday, we will be doing some grocery shopping. I am to be eating more fish, rather than red meat, and so I plan to find more salmon fillets on sale at one of the stores. Last week, I bought enough for the both of us and baked them with mustard across the top, along with coarse ground peppercorns. I promised my doctor that I would boost some of my vitamin levels, and I refuse, for the moment, to take supplements because of fillers, dyes, preservatives and such because of my allergic reactions to them. Speaking of which, I think I was supposed to have scheduled a doctor’s appointment and labs for the end of December, and I have not, but only the Diabetes Educator. Who is a riot!

I suppose I should have saved this for my Weekend Coffee Share activity. But perhaps I will fall asleep, now, and sleep through tomorrow and the weekend. ??? Naw! Not!

Wishing you the best of weekends!

Elizabeth

 

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Abstractions, Distractions

by Lizl Bennefeld

 

Raindrop, inverted
Raindrop
cotoneaster fruit
Red & Black
raindrops falling into the puddle
Splash

Enjoying the photography workshop, but so much to learn in too short a time. The weather turned wet, and we now are expecting snow: up to six inches. I have felt well enough to go out with my camera when I take the Scampers into the back yard. Wearing moccasins, now, rather than going out barefoot, and a flannel-lined denim jacket. Having a waterproof camera is a good thing. Having one that does not break when I drop it? Essential!

I still am struggling with the aftereffects of what I suspect was Latex exposure from the balloons during the reunion weekend. Trouble sleeping…trouble staying awake. Over the weekend and these first few days of the new week, however, I have at least gotten some things done around the house. Blood sugar is coming down, and blood oxygen level is coming back up.

I keep losing photo files. That is frustrating.

Going to try, now, to get back to sleep.

G’nite!

A week in the life . . .

by Lizl Bennefeld

I was together enough to write a WeekendCoffeeShare post, this week, for my Stray Coffee Breaks blog, but still have to write a haiku for RonovanWrites.

The Scampers at Play
Flower Fly and Poppy
Showy White
Flower Fly, California Poppy
Dew on the Grass

Playing a little bit of catch-up, having been sidetracked on household chores. My online photography workshop began on Monday (a 6-week course), and I am trying to decide how to approach the material and assignments. In the meanwhile, I also am sorting through fifteen years of photo archives, looking for examples of work that…I am pulling some of it from my Facebook download and using my JPGMag account as a quick index for locating other pieces.

In the meanwhile, these are a few of the photographs that I’ve taken since my last post.

I think that I will eat a sandwich, and then settle in to put together a post to the interactive closed workshop group. Such fun! (I imagine that I am the oldest person in the class, but still am waiting for the rest to post.

In other news, I learned that Al’s last aunt, Patricia, died in the middle of the night. Pat and her late husband, children, and grandchildren are centered in the Twin Cities and the Chicago area. I believe that one of Al’s sisters will be in the vicinity and able to attend the funeral, assuming that they can make arrangements for the coming weekend. With the respiratory problems and allergy season, it’s a given that I cannot make the trek south. I need a good, hard frost or two before the pollens are gone until spring.

I have not yet gotten through the first (17-page) course outline and discussion, so I am going to have an interesting night.

Best wishes for your week!
Lizl

Flower Flies

by Lizl Bennefeld

Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae.

Photos from Saturday:

A few photographs of Sunday’s photographs:

Resting on a Blade of Grass
In Flight, Hoverfly
Wildflower
Hoverfly, Close-up
Hoverfly, Visiting

The smoke in the air from the wildfires has abated for the time being, and I think that the rains, last night, helped a little with the pollen. I have enjoyed getting outside with my camera. I am not certain that I will be exercising in the gazebo, today, however.

A week from tomorrow, the Photography workshop that I signed up for should begin. I am looking forward to that.

There was a thunderstorm in the middle of the night, which woke me. And so, I slept in until quite late. After eight o’clock, I think. As a result, the day has sped away. I am pleased that I took care of the laundry and household chores. Why are there always dirty dishes in the sink? On our next outing for groceries, we must also get some paper plates.

Best wishes for your day and week!

Morning Photos | Saturday, 11 August 2018

by Lizl Bennefeld
Discarded
Daisy in Waiting
Wild Flax Close-up
Wild Flax

This morning, I decided to water the back garden before the sun gets high and the temperature, hot. These photos were taken in the south-facing side garden. As usual, the Scampers barked and tried to get through the gate (or, at least, get to what I was trying to photograph).

puppy, trying to get through the fencing to eat a tiny coreopsis flower
Eek! Scamper Attack!

I’ve been having so much fun, I’ve forgotten to eat, which is not a good thing. We still have smoky haze, and it looks as though the temperature will be in the low 90s F. Once again, the five top cities for pollen count, according to Pollen (dot) com, are in North and South Dakota. That’s me, folks! Whoopy!

Imagine I’m going to entertain myself again today by practicing arpeggios instead of pedaling my exercise bike, which is in the backyard gazebo.

Wild flax flowers, 6 August

by Lizl Bennefeld
Wild Flax in Raindrops © Elizabeth Bennefeld, 2018-08-06
Wild Flax in Raindrops © Elizabeth Bennefeld, 2018-08-06

During the night hours, a thunderstorm came through the area. When I first took the Scampers out for the before-breakfast outing, I brought along my camera. In the course of taking photographs, I found raindrops coming down once more. Lovely!

Wild Flax in Raindrops © Elizabeth Bennefeld, 2018-08-06
Wild Flax Flower #6171
Wild Flax Flower #6163
Wild Flax #6160
Wild Flax Flower

The top photograph and the other wild flax flower that resembles it are growing in the south side garden, where I was in despair that nothing would grow, this year. I’ve more Baby’s Breath, a number of Blue Wild Flax, and the Plains Coreopsis; I am under the impression that the one version of the Wild Flax is annual and the other, perennial, but I do not know which, anymore. I do know that the flax plants that have the larger, smoother petals reseed like crazy. Only one of the other type showed up in this year’s backyard garden.

The only moth that I spotted today was resting on the outside of the back door, protected by the storm door. A smaller version of the other that I recently posted (on one of my blogs), but a bit darker and with sharper markings. (Ach! I will see if that photo is also close at hand.)

This morning’s moth

Insects and Flowers, 4 & 5 August 2018

by Lizl Bennefeld
Cabbage Butterfly
Ladybug Wings
Green Grasshopper
Honeybee, On the Edge
Honeybee in a Poppy Flower

The weather was stormy, earlier in the week, with small clusters or lines of thunderstorms and rainclouds. This is the time of the year when the wildflowers die off in my garden. There are lots of seed pods on the blue wild flax stems. I do not know about the coreopsis, other than a few have appeared that might be from the second sowing of seeds, a few weeks back.

In the side garden, I’ve got mostly weeds, but a couple of Baby Breath plants have flowered, and also a Plains Coreopsis. Waiting to see if anything else appears from those seeds. They are supposed to be drought tolerant, once they germinate. Below are a few photos from my last outing with the Scampers, this evening.

The Scampers, Oblivious
Rabbit
Wildflowers
Plains Coreopsis
Baby’s Breath

I expect that ragweed season will soon begin, if it hasn’t already. I’ve just changed the filter in the air cleaner in my room, after Al gave it a good cleaning out. Hoping that if I stay inside on the breezy days and exercise in the gazebo (glass all around and equipped with a fan to maintain the direction of the air flow), my breathing will loosen up, again.

Hate giving up the out-of-doors for any reason, for any length of time, however short.