Lilacs in the Spring

I have been negligent in keeping this blog running.  I have so many projects that I am working on and many of those are photography related.  I don't know how working people can work, raise a family, and also pursue hobbies.  Now that I'm retired I feel like I have so many things that I want to do, but along with that, I do feel like I'm running out of time.  When I first retired I took up crocheting.  Then I discovered television and the multitude of programming that I had been missing.  Of course, I obviously wasn't busy enough so I bought a puppy.  Little did I know that the puppy needed exercise- like constantly.  In addition to that, the house needed some TLC, as did the yard.  And oh, did I mention that I wanted to pursue my interest in photography?  And start and Etsy shop.  And babysit.  And....OMG....how can I fit all of these things into my daily life?  I thought retirement was suppose to be relaxing, but for me it's not.  It does mean that I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn.  And I can put off until tomorrow that what I must do today.  But my need to get it all done but not necessarily do it well, is taking its toll on me.  I just have to figure out how to break it down and work on these projects one thing at a time.

A Place to Find Peace

Today I had an opportunity to go on an historical walk in the Jackson Park area of Chicago. Unfortunately when I hear Jackson Park I imagine a "not so nice" area of Chicago.  Jackson Park, Garfield Park, Marquette Park....aren't they all the same?  The news seems to depict it as so. A shooting here, a shooting there, what's the diff?  But much to my surprise there is this little oasis in the center of Jackson Park.  Set on the south side of the Museum of Science and Industry, Jackson Park is the home to several butterfly gardens, a Japanese garden, an endangered bird sanctuary and several lagoons, not to mention the infamous Jackson Park Golf Course.  What makes this area historical is the fact that it was the location of the Chicago World's fair back in the late 1800's.  Quite a few people showed up for the tour today which was led by the son of my good friend Deb.  He's quite the historian and was a wealth of information.  I had read the book "Devil in the White City" a few years ago but after walking and listening to the history of the park I would like to read it again. It was a beautiful day and this Japanese garden was a hidden delight amongst the backdrop of low income housing.   How unfortunate for me that I had never known about it before- or if I had it certainly had escaped my memory.

Leading Lines

Oh my gosh....time is flying by.  Retired with lots to do but doing little.  I have neglected my blog, my photography, my garden, my house and instead have been sitting around thinking about all that I should be doing.  So for now I've decided to pick one thing to do and I've chosen photography.  Maybe I will then get motivated enough to get back to working on the rest of the things that are in my life.  The assignment for today's Our Daily Challenge is "Leading Lines".  For all of my life I've tended to look at the big picture and get overwhelmed.  Perhaps I should break it down- take one thing that will lead to the big picture, finish that and move onto the next.  Just like these stamens lead to the big picture, so should I.

Walking in Style

Walking in Style, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

When I saw these shoes on the floor of my son's house I knew I just had to take a picture of them. They belong to my six year old granddaughter.  She told me her dad bought them for her online.  I don't know if that's true; she tends to have a lot of "stories" these days.  But nevertheless, they are darn cute. The kind of shoes that she would wear as they are truly girl-like.  She's the kind of little girl who puts on skirts to play outside when other girls would rather wear shorts.  She certainly doesn't take after me or her dad's side of the family. We lean toward shorts and jeans, just like her little friends.  But I imagine her mom would be super proud of the way she dresses.  I have to give her dad a lot of credit as it's not easy dressing little girls these days, or big girls for that matter.