Haiku Friday #141 - Camera Critters #69

Make Time for Small Reflections
Scroll down for Camera Critters ...
click for PELICANS & Skies at
Happily Retired Gal & Sacred Ruminations today
and non-feathered birds in yesterday's Thursday Thirteen

Thanks to Tina of
Mummy Diaries for this
lovely blog award!
I would like to share
it with others ... How to choose
seems too difficult

at least for today.
Enjoy miscellaneous
photos & haiku.

sharing a few skies
with some greenery & more
latest red roses ...
aftermath of the
gradual demise I shared
not so long ago

This is my 70thMisty Dawn started the meme and explains the rules here

Molly LOVES to play
'fetch' with any kind of toy ...
'specially this BLUE ball!

Click to embiggen for better viewing.
Find others participating in Haiku Friday and Camera Critters

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"The essence of pleasure is spontaneity." Germaine Greer

T-13 Beautiful birds of a non-feathered kind ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

Bird of Paradise ...
blooming around my neighborhood
in Southern California

13 Photographs taken with my Nikon D60
and filtered with Poster Edges
before being collaged
with PSE6Click to embiggen for better viewing.
Find others participating in ... Thursday Thirteen this week.

If you missed Monday's Celebratory Post & have a bit of time right now ... click to find some awards I'm sharing in honor of this triple milestone and celebrate with me ;--)

See also ...
Wordless Watery Wednesday @ Happily Retired Gal
WW - Today's Flowers - Purple Passion Photo @ Sacred Ruminations
Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." e.e. cummings, 1955

Morning Musings ... Celebrating Today

Make Time for Small Reflections
1000+ posts & comments

It's been a few months since I've 'mused' in the mornings here ... in fact, after checking just now I've discovered that the last time was Monday, March 9th and in that post I did little more than recap my blogging activities of the previous week.

When I started blogging in late October of 2007, my intentions differed from what my blogs have evolved into ... but that seems to be the way of my life. My current interests revolve around photography more than writing ... so most of my posts are 'visual' these days. Perhaps that will change in time, but for now that's what is. Although there are thousands of posts awaiting my attention in Google Reader, what little time I spend at the computer visiting in the virtual world is devoted mainly to other photo bloggers ... mainly because I have much to learn from others who have been taking pictures much longer than me. I miss the 'writers' I met early on and do what I can bit by bit to check in from time to time ... very much appreciate those of you who drop by occasionally & leave me comments. Rest assured I'll drop by your blogs eventually & leave comments there too.

With that acknowledged, I'm pleasantly surprised to announce the following and CELEBRATE here with those who pass this way.

I accepted Harriet's 1000 Comment Challenge during May!
As of yesterday I've exceeded the goal,
so I've snagged the trophy and am celebrating today
both this COMMENT milestone
and a posting one too
... just because.

I suspect the only reason I've reached this commenting goal is that looking at photographs takes less time than reading lengthy posts ... so that even though I spend less time at the computer, I can get to more blogs & leave feedback. Rather than using Google Reader, I've relied mainly on Mr. Linky at the various Photo Memes I've joined & semi-regular activities ... including but not limited to:

... at Small Reflections
Brenda Photo Challenge
Camera Critters
Collages & Photoshop Elements
Mellow Yellow Monday
Molly & Ms. Kitty
Photo Hunt
Ruby Tuesday
Scenic Sunday
Sky Watch
Today's Flowers

... at Sacred Ruminations
Camera Critters
Molly & Ms. Kitty
My World
Photo Hunt
Photoshop Elements & Original Collages
Purple Photo Passion
Shadow Shot Sunday
Sky Watch
Today's Flowers
Wordless Wednesday

... at Happily Retired Gal
Camera Critters
Macro Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday
Photo Hunt
PSE6

Ruby Tuesday
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot Sunday
Sky Watch
Today's Flowers
Watery Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday

This is my 552nd post here at Small Reflections ...
I addition I've published 379 at Sacred Ruminations ... 107 posts at Happily Retired Gal ... and 26 at Blog Rolls, Bling & Blurbs for a grand total of 1064 posts! Seems like I missed my 1000th post by a couple of months ... but celebrating late is better than not celebrating at all ... so that's what I'm doing right now ;--)

I'd like to acknowledge receipt of and offer the following Thank You button from Jackie's Magic. In addition, I offer a few I've created myself ... just because. Feel free to snag, enjoy, and pass them along to others ;--)

Two last things ...
1. If I figure an average of 10 comments per post ... that would mean at least 10,000 comments have been left on my blogs by visitors and that BOGGLES my mind! Thanks again to each of you.

2. With more than 2000 emails in my g-mail box currently, I suspect it may be impossible for me to respond as I'd like to. Please know I appreciate each & every comment visitors leave on my blogs and do my best to respond by visiting your blogs too.

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thoughts for Today
"I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks."
William Shakespeare

Reflecting on Memorial Day ...

Make Time for Small Reflections
Scroll Down for Mellow Yellow Monday

"Peace to each manly soul that sleepeth;
Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth..."
Thomas Moore

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life
to something bigger than oneself." Joseph Campbell

This is my 8th Mellow Yellow post
at Small Reflections but I've published 16 Mellow Yellow posts

previously at Happily Retired Gal.

Living at the beach
guarantees holidays will
bring out lots of folks ...

Volleyball contest
added to the mix - Bigger
crowds gather to watch

from the sand and pier ...
Yesterday I walked downtown
with my camera

YELLOW everywhere
caught my eye ... and so I share
summer views with you.
Click collages to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Mellow Yellow Monday
Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" Maya Angelou

Brenda Photo Challenge - Doorways

Make Time for Small Reflections
Click for Haiku Friday Sky Watch in my next post ...

Some may recognize
MY front door with 'reflections' ...
Click to embiggen ;--)

Recently I learned
of Brenda Photo Challenge
and decided to

participate with
selected DOORWAYS from a
recent photo walk

in my neighborhood ...
If time permits I'll share more
doorway photographs

on my other blogs,
but for now I offer these
for your enjoyment.

I enjoyed this one I took MULTIPLE views!
(Click to embiggen for better viewing)

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating at this month's hostess ... Annie's Blog.

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see." John Burroughs

T-13 Haiku Sky Watch Friday and Harriet's 1000 Comments Challenge (albeit belatedly)

Make Time for Small Reflections
Click for Purple Passion Photo at Sacred Ruminations and
another T-13 today at Happily Retired Gal

Haiku Friday#139 & Sky Watch #53
13 Sky Photos
collaged using new techniques
I learned just this week

Each view included
captured during the past week ...
such variety!

Click to embiggen for better viewing.
Find others participating in ... Thursday Thirteen
Haiku Friday, SkyWatch and Looking at the Sky this week.

I have long wondered
how to create a template
for a T-13

like the one above ...
thinking it might help create
collages to share

and perhaps it might
eventually ... but THIS
collage took me HOURS!!!

At least next time I'll
have the 'frame' set up and with
practice things may go

more quickly next time.
Using 'stroke outline' instead
of a 'beveled edge'

gives a different
look to this collage and it's
more symmetrical.

Addendum:
I just discovered that Harriet created a challenge for the Month of May so I'm adding this note to my most recent post. It's called ... the 1000 Comment Challenge and the logo looks like this:

Although most of my posts are photographs & collages with a bit of Haiku these days, I do visit as many blogs as time permits (often using Mr. Linky for various weekly memes) and always leave comments, so this challenge seems like fun. The unfortunate thing is that today is the 21st of May so there are just 10 days left to play. Since I 'track' the comments I leave as a general practice, tomorrow I'll be doing a count to see how close I am to the goal. Sometimes obsessive habits pay off ;--)

Of course like other bloggers, I enjoy comments on my blog.

If you want to participate in this Linky Love Challenge visit Harriet’s Blog. She's already created a very kewl trophy for the '1000 Comments Club' and plans to offer an award to those who reach 500 comments too.

5-24-09 addendum - Harriet's considering repeating the challenge for June ... so if you'd like to participate, drop by her blog and let her know. FYI -I just totaled my comments for the month so far and as of 8pm I've made 985 ... so I've just got 15 to reach the 1000 goal. How kewl is that?

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." John Quincy Adams

Ruby Tuesday - Today's Flowers

Make Time for Small Reflections

My first RED rose of
2009 springtime ... this
Abraham Lincoln

(Multiple views of a single red rose over time)

lasted more than a
week but in the last few days
disintegrated ...

Click to embiggen for better viewing

for others participating in Today's Flowers & Ruby Tuesday.

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect." Adabella Radici

Camera Critters #65 - My Screensaver ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

This is my 65thMisty Dawn started the meme and explains the rules here

Last weekend I shared
three collages of Molly
playing with Layla ...

and intended to
share this photograph as an
introduction, but

distractedly ... I
neglected to add it so
here it is below ;--)

I love this photo so much, it's my current screensaver!

Today I share more
photographs of these fur-friends
enjoying themselves ...

entertaining us
as we watch delighted they
get along so well.

Note: Layla still goes
for Molly's ear often but
seems to be learning ...

Click to embiggen collages for better viewing
and Camera Critters at Misty Dawn's this week.

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"I love a dog. He does nothing for political reasons." Will Rogers