Photo Friday: Hawk Alights

Project 52 continues with this week's pic:  A marsh hawk that flew up into the grand pine tree across the street while I was sitting at my desk!  Took this through the den window, with my camera that (luckily) was sitting right there.  (I do love where I live!)

Was completely poised and focused to snap a shot as he flew away, and just as he did, I pushed the button... and the batteries died.

Ah, well.  Not too bad for week six of fifty-two.

This week's kind-of-pitiful runner-up:  Morning Frost.  (Which was taken on my iPhone and can only been seen at the incredibly small size you see here).

Announcing Project 52

Inspired by all the bloggers who have attempted and/or completed a Project 365 (taking and posting a photograph a day, and becoming an amazing photographer along the way), I have decided to start my own photography blog project. But not wanting to bite off more than I can chew, I've dubbed it "Project 52". I figure I can come up with one awesome photo a week! Sure I can! Who couldn't do that? I can do that! I can, right?

Anyway, I want to smoosh the whole project into 2010. So I'm already 4 weeks behind. Or 5 if you want to count that first Friday. Which I do. Soooooooo...

Here are the first 5 photos of Project 52, Photo Friday! Ready, set, go....

Oh wait! Rules! Rules, rules, rules. First, if my photos suck, I can and will PhotoShop them. This is as much to hone my PhotoShopping skills as my photography skills. Second, if I get behind, I can smoosh multiple photos into one Friday (like today). OK, I think those are all the rules.

Oh and also, I'd like to say that my inspiration (high praise indeed after this flawlessly crafted introductory post.... Sorry, Dani!) is DaniGirl of the FABULOUS blog Postcards from the Mothership. Her photos throughout the last year have been SUCH great fun to look at, and now she's found that she can't stop at 365, and has gone on to re-name her project "Project 1000". She just keeps going and going. Which is what this introduction is doing. Now, on to the photos!

Wait! I have to say "also inspired by"... ALVN, the amazing Amy from WhisperWood Cottage and Junkologie blogs. (And also a contributor on JunkMARKET Style!) Amy is a person who has that "eye" for photography, and SHOULD BE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER.

OK. It's like I'm at the Academy Awards and the orchestra starts playing because my speech is running over....

So now... the photos!

Wild Turkeys in the Lane, Winter

I took this out my car window on my iPhone.  It was somewhat blurry, and had the frame of the car window in it.  But when I cropped it and put the Fresco effect on... I thought it was somewhat impressionistic!  (Just call me Renoir!)

 Crabapple tree in hoarfrost

Same deal - blurry iPhone pic with PhotoShopped effect - Manet, n'est-ce pas?

Hip-hop birdie

Sweet little birdie tracks by our front door one morning....

Happiness and high-fives

Tyler is thrilled with the birthday present Lauren gave him.  Any shot with them not fighting is golden...!

Corgi with snowflakes

Our Coco girl loves the snow!

And there you have it - Project 52, up and running!

Comfort and Joy

'Tis the season, and finally (finally!) the kids and I are off work and school for Christmas. I can't remember Winter Break ever starting this late - it just seems wrong! So much left to do, and tomorrow's Christmas Eve already.

So before I run out to do the grocery shopping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (yes, tonight - out in the insanity of last-minute shoppers), I'd like to borrow an idea from one of my favorite bloggers, Dani Donders over at Postcards from the Mothership. Dani's post today is Five things that are making me happy this Christmas. Here's my take on that with five things bringing me comfort and joy this holiday season!

1. Listening to my husband and my son laughing out loud in the family room while watching Phineas and Ferb together. It's one of the kids' and my favorite shows, but my husband's never watched it before. It's nice just to hear them laugh. It makes me feel good.

2. This little video that I ran across tonight (also thanks to Dani's blog!), Goodnight Moon, read by Susan Sarandon.



It made me teary, as does anything that was dear to us when my kids were small. (I can't hear the theme song to Little Bear without tearing up either!) It's such a comforting little story.

3. Being safe and warm inside, and knowing I don't have to go anywhere for Christmas Eve and no further than ten minutes away for Christmas Day. There's a major snowstorm that's started tonight, and it's supposed to just keep snowing and snowing for three days - they're saying 12 to 20 inches. I'm so grateful not to be driving somewhere, or flying somewhere, and just to be sitting here in my cozy den, with my feet up on my desk, watching it snow out the window.


View Through a Window Looking Out at the Snow
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4. The music of Christmastime. Oh sure, there are some songs I can't stand, or I'm sick to death of, but overall, isn't it comforting to know all the songs and be able to sing along with everything?

5. Feeling the whole household relaaaaaaaaax now that it's winter break. There's a completely different feel to our family when we don't have all the stress of school/work/activities, and it's a feeling I wish we could keep hold of for longer than a week.

Here's wishing you and yours a safe, happy, comfortable and joyous holiday week!

Third Time's the Charm? Nope - Three Strikes, They're Out. 1-800-No-Flowers.com

Well, after giving 1800Flowers.com every opportunity to make the situation right (see last post: Bye-bye 1800Flowers.com),  they dug themselves in deeper and deeper, and I have decided not to shop with them again.  I'd like to offer a little lesson the the folks at 1800Flowers.com.  Pay close attention, now:

For those of you who wonder how the story ended, here it is, in all its ridiculousness:

After the complaint about the second delivery (the laughable replacement for the unsatisfactory first delivery), I decided to send them pictures, so that they could see for themselves.  They then sent me notice confirming that I had received my order.  (Um, thanks.  I know that.  That's where the pictures came from).  1800Flowers.com then told me to look over their site and order something in a comparable price range.  I responded that all I wanted was what I had originally ordered, thank you.  They responded by canceling my order and refunding my money. (No explanation, no apology, just canceling). 

I can't say they never apologized, but it was only form e-mails: "We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused." Not the "My gosh, we totally screwed this up, but we will make it right for you" that you might expect, being a regular customer. I thought I'd give one last chance, told them that they are losing a good customer, that they're turning someone who once recommended them into someone who will warn people away from them, and, to be fair, told them that I'm blogging about the experience.   I also asked that a manager review the situation and get back to me.

Their response: Another Customer Service rep (no manager) gave me more generic form-letter babble about their "policies" and their "hope that [their] service has been satisfactory in the past" (Um, yeah, I would hope so too, but how would I know?) and their hope that they will have a chance to regain my trust in the future.  I'm usually loyal to a fault, but there're only so many chances I'll give when I can tell the company isn't even trying to make sure I'm satisfied. 

Many of my friends, and a very nice commenter on my last post, have recommended going strictly local for ordering flowers.  Before this happened, I might have said that 1800Flowers.com uses local florists, so it is local.  I encourage you to read the comment by Sandy Buss on the previous post.  Sandy is a florist, and she explains in detail how the relationship between the online "order gatherers" and the local florist works.  With the enormous fees that the online floral sites charge, going through them doesn't benefit the customer or the local florist.  Better to go directly through your local shop.

I'm serious about not shopping with 1800Flowers.com again.  I feel so embarrassed that the people I have sent flowers to over the last few years might have received the kind of crap I received this week when I finally placed an order for myself.  (I have to say that when my mom saw the atrocious second bouquet today she exclaimed, "Oh Kim - I wouldn't even want that if someone gave it to me as a gift!")

I've been researching my local florists this afternoon, and I have some good ideas for where to go next time I order flowers.  If you're considering making the same kind of move, here's a helpful website: FloristDEX.com.  This site not only gives you contact info for florists in your area (along with maps to their shops), it gives links to their websites, information about flowers, ideas for what to write on the card, and all kinds of other good info.

Overall, going directly through your local florist seems to be a win-win, and I repeat what I said originally:  Bye-bye 1800Flowers.com!