December Photo Project: Day 25

Yeah, I'm slow again. But I'm crabby. That's my excuse. Work was good today. Few clients came to call so I was actually able to get some things done that have been lying around neglected. The pic is me wearing my new robe from TCO which is nice and fluffy.

December Photo Project: Day 24

Mira and Torrin in front of our "Christmas Tree." I didn't put up the "real but artificial" tree this year. Mira isn't the problem...the cats are. They knocked it fully down three times last year, and I ended up putting it away before Christmas even happened. Maybe next year we'll give it a try again.

December Photo Project: Day 23

Yeah, yeah, I'm running a bit behind. Things get crazy during the holidays...and today is also a certain Special Someone's 21st birthday. :) This is Mira reading with her great grandma.

December Photo Project: Day 22

One view of the Crazy Christmas House at 42nd & Cleveland Avenue

December Photo Project: Day 21

I didn't feel overdressed wearing a leather jacket and light knit gloves. Is 40 degrees fahrenheit (4 degrees celsius) really that warm?

December Photo Project: Day 20

Someone's going to be disappointed on Christmas morning.

December Photo Project: Day 19

Six families down, eight to go.

December Photo Project: Day 18

So far...$275 for gas station gift cards...$260 at JC Penney for teens' clothing...$130 at Bath and Body Works for gift cards...and $3095 at WalMart for everything from socks and underwear to Fairytopia Barbies and Little Tonkas to microwaves and coffee pots. And don't forget diapers and Christmas trees. The receipt above was for the second run through WalMart. You can only fit so much into a cart at a time, you know.

December Photo Project: Day 17

View of the State Capitol with Sunset Sky this evening from Elliott Elementary as I picked up Torrin from his after school program.

December Photo Project: Day 16

December Photo Project: Day 15

December Photo Project: Day 14

Yeah, yeah. I'm a dork, and a dangerous dork at that. I like to take pictures while I'm driving, apparently. This is the ornament that hangs from my rear view mirror. It's a medicine wheel beaded thing I made a couple of years ago. It's colorful, which makes me happy. Another thing that makes me happy is lights reflecting off of the surfaces of wet streets. That's been a secret source of joy for me for the past several years. It's the one thing I enjoy about rain and ice on the road.

December Photo Project: Day 13

Today: A Series in Geese. Taken this morning as I was on my way to Wal-Mart to replace a stolen Operation Santa Claus gift.

December Photo Project: Day 12

Yesterday, I didn't even get dressed.
With public schools cancelled, work starting late, Mira's daycare closing early and a sheet of ice covering everything it just didn't make sense to go through the production of getting everyone presentable. I didn't even go out and get the mail. I did salt the sidewalks and take the recycling to the curb prior to 7am, however. I also cooked breakfast for lunch (scrambled eggs and sausage) and made my first ever pot of chili. An onion, a green pepper, tomatoes, kidney beans, chili seasoning, cumin, red pepper, and oh yeah, hamburger. I don't know that I've ever cooked two kinds of red meat in one day. That's highly atypical in this household.

Anyway, all of that hiding-insideithe-house business meant that the Thawing of the Ice Cube that was once My Car was left for this morning. Bright and early. An entire hour from start to finish. I mentioned I missed my garage? Yeah, you could say it's more like mourning sometimes.

But it was a good day. No, a great day. I was voted onto a board. I am now a member of the Board of Directors of the Volunteer Partners. Several families showed up to receive their free Operation Santa Claus gifts. And I got a call from one of our funders. They're giving me (I mean, my program) 7 or 8 grand, in addition to what they've already given. My task? Pick ten needy families and give them a wonderful Christmas.

That's an order I'm glad to take.

December Photo Project: Day 11

ICE STORM
I must say that I am continually disappointed by the winter weather photographing opportunities immediately available around my house. Our yard is pretty small in back (and nothing's in it, it's unfenced) and in front it's essentially non-existent. Then the added problem of it being too dark to focus well this morning but flash, as always, washing out detail. The second, somewhat eery facelike image is Torrin's bike covered in snowy ice with some shadows projected by the porch railing.

But, the "good" news is that's there's no school today. That's "good" as opposed to actually good because it means I can't go to work. It wouldn't be so bad to have Torrin tag along with me to work, but it appears that the drive to Mira's daycare and my place of employment would be.

And Happy Birthday to our Auntie Joyce.

December Photo Project: Day 10

OPERATION SANTA CLAUS
Fully underway at the Indian Center! The National Guard delivered presents this morning, so now it's up to me to disseminate them to their proper owners. A few families' gifts did not arrive. A few other families have been or will be adopted by more financially sound ones. And I get to orchestrate the whole thing...

December Photo Project: Day 9

Heading north on 27th street at Vine.

December Photo Project: Day 8

Kitty Sumiko's got it goin' on. He's in the know. Heck, if I could crawl in the dryer and snuggle in warm clothes, I would.

Sumiko is my lesser-liked cat. Actually, The Chosen One hates him. TCO doesn't care for cats, and Sumiko is somewhat passive agressive and a bit socially avoidant. Nothing extreme. He is still a good kitty, very tolerant, and causes little trouble. He is also the prettier of my kitties, with his snowy white fur with beige splotches and icy blue eyes. He's got a bit of that Siamese-almost-cross-eyed-ness going on. He's just the one that you're more likely to trip over when you're in my house.

December Photo Project: Day 7

These pictures were all taken at work this morning. Animal tracks in the snow and the powwow grounds, snow-covered, o'course.

December Photo Project: Day 6, Beware of Naked Baby Bum

Okay, so the picture on the left is the official DPP pic of the day. You'd think with all of the snow that blew around today I'd be able to find something more interesting to photograph than the pine cone wreath on my porch. Well, sorry to disappoint but it is what it is.

Heh. The next picture is here 'cuz I think it's funny. As has been mentioned previously, Mira looooooves Hey-dee Paw-der. Not quite as much as Monsters Inc., but pretty close nonetheless. And c'mon, who doesn't love a bit o' baby bum?

I also love how long her hair is getting. It's not as long in front as the back...I did trim her bangs twice when she was a wee one and I was still afraid of styling her hair. That 'n, you know, gravity, shape of the human head, etc. :D