Welcome 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Resolutions

Remembering Day

For my sister, Vicki.

Remembering Day

This day
used to be
your birthday.
I gave you presents.
Lit candles to mark
another year of life.
Filled up on cake.
This day is now
the anniversary 
of your birth.
I miss
your presence.
Light a candle
in honor of
your life.
Try to fill up
on memories,
but the hunger
never ends.

Photo Tuesday-Journey

Thanks to Becca Barray for Wordsmith Studio's Weekly Photo Prompt-Journey. 

My photo represents a journey delayed. Yes, the first significant amount of snow in Kansas City in about two years fell on the day I was supposed to leave town for the holidays and knocked my departure back one day. However, I got the news when I was safe and warm at home so I was able to stay that way! Following is the photo:

 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link on the right to follow this blog.

Buffalo Cuisine

Before Buffalo Wings became the rage, Buffalo was known for a special roast beef sandwich. Although it is now overshadowed by wings, beef on weck still is  very popular.

 

I once brought kimmelweck rolls back to Kansas City so some of the world's best roast beef could meet up with these great rolls. Unfortunately, kimmelweck rolls don't have a very long shelf life so they weren't at their best by the time we arrived.

 

Maybe that is one reason the sandwich has stayed local to Buffalo. I do hope that Santa will bring we one over the holidays.

 

Beef on Weck

 

I’ll have a

beef on weck.

A beef on what?

A beef on weck.

What the heck

is a beef on weck?

A kimmelweck roll,

hard and salty,

stacked with roast beef

with horseradish, please.

Never heard of it!

Oh, I’m not in

Buffalo anymore

am I?


Don't forget to check out  Wordsmith Studio's Weekly Photo Prompt.

 

 

Follow me on Twitter or click  the Join this Site link to follow the blog.

Tuesday Photo-Cold

Is there something that makes you feel cold just by looking at it? Lara Schiffbauer challenged us to present a visual representative of cold in this week's Wordsmith Studio Photo Prompt.

Well, I grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. so when I hear the word cold, I think of winter. Now, of course, winter in Buffalo is usually associated with snow, but there is another image that makes me think of the cold of winter. Whenever I see bare trees against dark clouds, I can't help but shiver. Maybe it is because I expect snow to fall from those clouds or I remember the chill wind off of Lake Erie. Anyway, here is a photo that makes me feel cold:

It's not too late to join in the fun! Take a picture that represents cold to you and post a link to it in the comments on the blog post at Wordsmith Studio.

Follow me on Twitter or join this site by clicking the link on the right.

Grief and the Holidays

I volunteer with a bereavement support group. One topic that garners alot of discussion each year is handling the holidays.

 

Those who are facing the first holiday season after a loss face many emotions. Some want to continue their celebrations as they have alway been, but worry that they can't replicate celebrations of the past. Others want to make things as different as possible, but may feel guilt at leaving traditions behind.

 

As with all facets of grieving, there is no one answer that works for everyone. Perhaps this first year, you may keep a few trraditions going and let others lie dormant for a year or two. Maybe you never start them back up or maybe you replace them with something new.

 

When my mother's Alzheimers progressed to the point at which she could no longer bake Christmas cookies, I began making a couple of her recipes. It has been more than 12 years since that happened. I am still  a reluctant baker. I put off doing the baking as long as possible, but, in the end,  I am always glad that I do it.

 

Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone remembering a lost loved one this holiday season.

Tuesday Photo-Sky

Wordsmith Studio photographers were looking up for this week's photo prompt as Becca Barray challenged us to photograph the sky. I started looking at the sky during my morning walks, and I was amazed at the beauty that enfolds there everyday. Now, whenever I am outside, I make sure I check out what is happening in nature's big canvas! I am never disappointed.

 

We were under alot of cloud cover this weekend in Kansas City.

Fortunately, the sun did come out long enough for me to catch this cloud pattern on a beautiful blue background.

It's not too late to join in the fun! Take a picture of the sky and post a link to it in the comments on the blogpost.

Related Links

Photography Craft-ISO


Follow me on twitter or join this site by clicking the link on the right.

Nutcrackers

Nutcrackers are one of my favorite holiday decorations. I don't really know why.

 

I can't say I inherited my appreciation of them. My mom didn't collect them. She did, however, buy bags of nuts that she shelled and used in a variety of cookies. I remember sitting and watching her when I was young. Of course, when I got old enough, I was handed a nutcracker (the metal kind) and joined in the work.  Maybe I make an association between good times and nutcrackers.

 

Whatever the reason, I love to look at the displays of nutcrackers during the holiday season. Oh, and naturally, make a purchase every so often.

 

Nutcrackers

 

Some stand tall and

guard the palace.

Some are small enough

to hang on the tree.

They may be soldiers or

athletes or even a celebrity.

No matter how they are

dressed or what their

profession may be,

all the nutcrackers

are enchanting to me. 

What are your favorite holiday decorations? Do you have a special memory associated with them?

Check out this week's Wordsmith Studio Photo Prompt:

Take a Picture-Sky!

Follow me on Twitter or click the link on the right to follow this blog.

Tuesday Photo-Seasonal Songs

Thanks to Bolton Carley for this week's Wordsmith Studio Weekly Photo Prompt. Bolton challenged everyone to take a photo inspired by a carol or famous lyric from a holiday song.

 

As soon as I read this prompt, I thought of the carol "O Christmas Tree". The tree I want to salute is a ceramic one that was made and given to me by a neighbor from my childhood. Helen was an artist in many ways. She was an amazing gardener and a wonderful cook. She could knit and crochet. She also painted china. I remember when she gave one of her ceramic Christmas trees to my mother. Then, one day several years later, she gave the one pictured to me.

It's not too late to join in the fun! Take a picture inspired by a seasonal song and post a link to it in the comments at Wordsmith Studio.


Follow me on Twitter or follow this blog by clicking the link on the right.