Making the flowers last

Over the weekend I dusted off my Lensbaby Velvet lens, which I hadn’t used since last summer. Had lots of fun with my Valentine’s Day flowers… Hope you had a lovely weekend, and as always… thank you so much for all your comments. 02/18/19

Morning sun

Taken back in the days when it was still warm enough to have a morning walk … 02/17/19

Sad dog days

Poor Shelby… cabin fever has set in. It’s been so cold that walks have been cancelled, in spite of sweaters & jackets & boots. It’s just so cold that we are down to a quick 15 minute walk in the afternoon and nothing in the morning… sigh…. is life worth living with only 1 walk a day? It appears that it is not… Thank you so very much for all your good wishes & congrats over my big news yesterday. Means a lot to be able to share it with you & I’m so grateful for your support. 02/16/19

Before the storm on Lake Manitoba

I have exciting news to share with you.... This image has been chosen to be published in a book called 'Manitoba by Manitoba, Images of the Province by it's Citizens'. McNally Robinson Booksellers (largest independent bookstore in Canada) put out a call for submissions several months ago. One photo from each person would be accepted and you must be a resident of Manitoba, all photos would be of rural Manitoba. In 2013 they published a book called Winnipeg by Winnipeg, and now it’s time for rural Manitoba to be showcased. And I am lucky enough to be part of it. The book will launch on March 14 & I will be presented with 2 free books! Now that’s more than enough to brighten a cold, dark February day! 02/15/19

Poor little water boy

....trying to pour water in the snow. 02/14/19

Little things mean a lot ....

Another ‘work of art’ found in my yard… we have a rather theme-less collection of yard ornaments. They are not here because I particularly like lawn ornaments, which I don’t, not really. Originally they all belonged to our parents. Both our mothers loved their gardens and spent their last years tending their precious flowers & trees and yes - re-arranging their beloved lawn ornaments. Over the past 5 years we lost both our mothers, but couldn’t let the lawn ornaments go homeless, so here they are… Each one holds a memory …. either of a Mother’s or Father’s Day gift, or a birthday or a special occasion of some sort. So, they can stay here, for as long as they want. And - it gives me something to shoot on a day that’s too cold to go any farther than a quick race around the yard… :) 02/13/19

Umbrella girl.... again

Just thought I’d show you where I found yesterday’s lawn ornament - she’s standing in front of our garage, looking south, waiting for spring. Unfortunately, the wind caught her umbrella a few weeks ago, whipped it around & dropped it on top of her head - which is making it difficult for her to enjoy the view….. 02/12/19

Ready for the rain

She’s got quite a long wait, I hope she’s patient … 02/11/19

It’s always surprising how an inch or two of new snow can freshen everything & remind us that every season has it’s own unique beauty … even when we are tired of looking at snow, it still changes every single day… Many thanks for your comments & the time you spend here - greatly apprecitated… :-)) 02/10/19 ps ... these are snowdrifts in front of our garage.

Daily dash in a dusting of snow

Needless to say, on these very cold mornings, Shelby’s run for the ‘necessities’ is very quick. I was trying to figure out these footprints & it seems to me, there aren’t quite enough for 4 feet out & 4 feet back in again. Could it be she goes so fast that some of her feet don’t quite touch the ground? Have a great weekend everyone! Keep warm if it’s cold, dry if it’s storming & enjoy the sunshine if it’s perfect… :-) 02/09/19

Sundogs in the morning

You know it’s cold when …. you step out on the deck (very briefly) and THIS is what you see! As far as I know sundogs are created by sunlight reflecting off ice crystals in the air (frozen air). Thank you so much for all your comments yesterday, your encouragment means so much! 02/08/19

My mother's hands

This is a many layered attempt to create a composition that began with a sketch my brother made of my mother’s hands while she was knitting, many years ago. It was done in iColorama… during a couple of evenings, playing on the iPad, adding images & textures & colours & layers, until finally I had something that I sorta liked. Surprisingly! I know it’s technically not a photo, (although it began as one) but I would like to share with you anyway, I always value your thoughts & your critiques are always welcome… :-) 02/07/19

This one is a little bit weird but I like it anyway…. .:) If you are interested in seeing the photo that I brought in to iColorama to play with, you can find it here: https://www.jmcqueenphoto.com/Travel/Maui-2018/i-S92LFPV/A 02/06/19

Balance squared

A little living room abstract…. playing in iColorama with the same picture of the condo in Maui as yesterday's DP. Thanks for all your comments, always appreciated & enjoyed... :) 02/05/18

Through the peephole

Have you heard of the app called iColorama? It is SO much fun to play with, totally addictive. This is a shot of the condo we stayed in while we were in Maui…. modified with iColorama. We are housebound in a blizzard this morning, oh joy. Definitely needed to post something a little different to distract from the winter blues…. 02/04/19