~ belated birthday card...

...for Nicholas!



This year, I was guilty of not giving the birthday card(s) to Nicholas.

Usually I give a card from each of us (this also includes a card from Ozzy and the cats).  But this year, I totally forgot!

Maybe, I had in the back of my mind that they didn't matter much anymore.  Not because I do not like to give them -- in fact -- many times, I go out of my way to hand make cards and give them to others.  However, over the years there has been a serious decline in the the cards we receive... Birthday... Christmas... Thank You cards.

Yesterday, Nicholas mentioned the absence of birthday cards for him, and it made me think of that old Hallmark commercial -- the one where the person receives a gift, but NO card!  So, today, I put on my "card making" cap and hand made a cute little card for my now -- 18 year old ADULT son.  I didn't want him to remember this birthday as "the one without the birthday cards".

So, perhaps people are not saying it aloud -- but they do enjoy receiving birthday, holiday, and, thank you cards.  ;-)

~perspective...

Bright and cheery morning view from my front door...




No, not really...this is the actual lighting...



How to do this?  No photoshop necessary!  To do this with your camera, switch to the setting "shooting into backlight".  Now choose the setting "set the metering to..." -- on my camera the metering is set to a dot in the center of a rectangle.

Photo 1 -- first I focus on the little wreath at the left side of the photo.  Press the shutter button halfway down, hold it, and move the camera slightly to the right so I am looking out the center of the door.  Press the shutter button all the way down.

Photo 2 -- The camera is still in the same position (photo 1) -- looking out the center of the door.  Simply press the shutter button all the way down.

Voila!  Two totally different looking photos :-)  Sorry, I am not able to explain this in more technical terms -- if that's what you need, you're way ahead of me!

Hope the weather is cheery where you are!


 

~ beautiful cold...

...morning view of ice crystals on our back storm door.  This morning's low temperature was 3 degrees farenheit (with wind chill it was -14 degrees farenheit).



The ice crystals on the back storm door formed when we opened the inner door to go outside.  Oh, just in case your wondering...the shadowy figure is a "macaroni" wreath Nicholas made for me way back in 2001. :-)

~ better bundle up...

...outside temps are dropping by the minute! At 6 a.m. it was 57 degrees farenheit. At 10:15 a.m. it is 45 degrees farenheit. By tomorrow morning it will be 7 degrees, but it will feel like -12 degrees with the wind chill factor.

BRRRRRRR..........!

               

~ snow day...

Ozzy loved the 8 inches of snow that Hercules left for us!

                        

The photo has an unusual format because Rick took the photo with his cellphone. ;-)

~ silent movie night...

Do you watch silent movies?  I do...sometimes...  I don't plan to watch them.  Last night, when I turned on the television, I caught this movie from the beginning.  It is "The Unknown".  Filmed in 1927.  The actress ~ a very young Joan Crawford.  The actor ~ Lon Chaney.

                                                                ~*~

                                                              ~*~

Not sure if you will be able to view this without an xfinity account, but, here is a link to watch it online:

The Unknown ~ 1927

~ happy new year...

May health and happiness be with you throughout the coming year :-)



Our New Year's Eve traditions:

Put out the money jar
Play parlor games
Watch TV until the ball drops in NYC Times Square

Then we wish each other a "Happy New Year" and go to sleep :-)