All about Frost flowers
This is an Unhosted Cafe.
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Yay! Long weekend ahead.
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Please recommend (and unrecommend the Cafe/Lounge from earlier)
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Froggy Bottom Cafe — TFSMIF
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Yay! Long weekend ahead.
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Please recommend (and unrecommend the Cafe/Lounge from earlier)
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Good morning, Andi.
I’m off today, but woke up before 3.30 – on the couch and hoping for a nap.
I hope, then, you are now snoozing and don’t come back and read this for hours.
Success.
OK, cleaning and shopping ahead.
Morning Andi and Ask!!!
How long a holiday weekened are you getting?
I am off sat and sun. I am working Christmas day. LOL
That’s the pits.
Not Really. I volunteered to work christmas as I get paid double time and 1/2. LOL
Your most spectacular frost flower yet, Andi. You’ve been saving it, haven’t you?
How’s ryan this a.m.?
I’m very fair-minded on my frost flowers — as long as the shapes are interesting and they are in focus I love ’em. (Acutally I took this one so long ago, I forgot about it and one other I took the same day.
She had a scary event yesterday while I was gone. She tried to call the 800 number on the back of her bank card to see what she could do about a seller on ebay who stiffed her and when they asked her address and the amount of last deposit to verify her identity she couldn’t remember and they didn’t believe her. She called my cell phone crying because one of her friends had told her that general anesthesia causes memory loss. She was inconsolable for a couple of hours until I asked her about all of the things she COULD remember and told her that I can never remember the amount of my last deposit either. Poor girl. I hate watching my kids when they’re scared or really disappointed – it cuts me to the core.
Thank goodness they only ask me my mom’s maiden name, otherwise I’d be doomed.
I can only imagine how that feels — in fact, my imagining how difficult feeling such responsibility for and connecttion to another human’s life had a lot to do with why I decided not to have kids.
It is a very frightening responsibility – especially when you’re not so sure that you’re handling your own life correctly. :/
I’m sure I’m not handling my own life correctly but I can live with that (especially since I’m not fond of the alternative).
If you can believe this: while deep in the throes of active drug addiction, my man & I were advised by a good friend that we should become parents; it would straighten us out. Can you imagine?
‘Course, we weren’t even tempted by that possibility– not only because of our priorities at the time, but because we recognized that some people basically shouldn’t become parents. Not everyone is suited to that lifetime vocation & are blessed to know it.
My mother kept trying the what ‘if you’d be a wonderful parent’ tack but it didn’t do her much good since she never came up with a reply to my “and what if we had kids and we were right that we’d be an awful parents’.
I’ve never had even the tiniest doubt that Jim and I made the right decision.
It’s completely fine to decide not to have children – but I beg to differ on your ability to be a good mother.
I wouldn’t trade my kids for anything but I had them for selfish reasons that make me cringe now…to have someone that was forced to love me and stay with me. Ok, I was 21 – give me a break. 🙂
think I can persuade you to do the same. 😛
As far as my mothering abilities go — we’ll just have to agree to disagree, especially since it is a very moot point.
I think I was a good mother only because of blind luck and natural instinct.
And my saying that I think you would make a good mother doesn’t mean I’m bugging you about it. 🙂
Your eggs are well past their sell-by dates. 😛
Doesn’t matter to your kids why, only that you were.
Eggs, shmeggs — all of me is past my sell-by date.
Me, too — finally!
Far as I can tell, SN, those who truly love their kids have been brought into a higher purpose, regardless of our circumstances. That’s a true blessing!
I think of Ecclesiastes 3. You know the tune: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
Imo, this type of certainty only confirms it.
I feel the same way about my own similar decision — made very early on & always unwavering, despite changing partners. As it turns out, I’ve been fortunate enough to help raise a number of kids. Talk about confirmation!
As committed as I was to my role, it was quite minimal & casual compared to the parents’; however, my contributions were entirely voluntary & freely given & this was certainly recognized by the kids, which did matter.
Nowadays? Forget it! I’ve abandoned even that marginal parenting impulse, completely without negative consequences to anyone.
One of my cousin’s used to say that “a good kid is one who goes home with someone else.”
My mother, too. Trouble is, she conveyed this feeling long long before her kids actually went home with someone else.
Oddly, I have no sense of my mother as a mother until I was an adult. I don’t think I had a mother-daughter relationship with her until then.
I’m still figuring out precisely what my relationship to my mom is actually about. Far as she’s concerned, I don’t think it’s so much mother & daughter as Shari Lewis & Lambchop. You can imagine the difficulties.
I sure can imagine how little you liked it. In my case, I had an aunt and grandfather who lived with us with whom I spent most of my time as young kid. After my dad died (when I was 12) my mother kind of went into retreat for several years and I ended up taking on a lot of the household decision-making. When she came out of it, I was a teenager and we both started dating at the same time and she wanted somebody to talk things over with. It took my leaving home for us to have a chance to have something like a normal relationship.
I’m sorry to hear your father died when you were so young, Andi. I hope you had a good relationship until then.
I can relate somewhat to your history with your mom, though. My mother took the ‘disaffected breadwinner’ role in our household, as my dad was seriously disabled when I was an infant.
Ergo I basically didn’t know Mom at all until her working life changed when I was an adolescent. She did the gay divorcee’/suicidal diva thing & then the serial marriage thing until I’d had enough & left home.
We’re basically connected now by a history of acquaintance & mutual emotional support — but it’s taken decades for me to find out that I’ve generally gotten the short end (ergo my Lambchop analogy).
Ah, well. No one’s permanent.
Thanks WW. It was 44 years so I’m pretty well over it. 🙂
We had a pretty typical 1950s father-daughter relationship — which is to say ‘none’.
It has sounded to me like you’ve gained some ground with your mother while you’ve been FL — I hope that’s so.
Ah, yes – I hear you on your relationship with your father. If my dad hadn’t been at home with me while Mom worked, ours would’ve likely been the same.
As for mom & I, nothing’s really changed in the general dynamic, but I see the picture more clearly than I have before & adjust myself accordingly. It’s still about the diva, but Lambchop’s retired.
🙂
My mother and I are just sad. In recent years I sense that she is attempting to be affectionate (hence the first “I love you” which starled me into silence)and now that she’s in bad shape she is feeling her mortality and wishing she could be closer to us but lacking the ability to pull it off.
For my part I feel sadness at what we should have been and guilt for not being able to at least fake the daughter part of our relationship.
That’s a mighty hard thing to fake, in my experience, SN. Likewise, I think, the mother part.
There seems to be a little window for you both, now. Let’s hope you can find a decent equilibrium. Anyway, we do what we can, given our limitations.
I’d like to think that one of the better things to come out of the feminist movement is that women have more choices and that this might mean that a lot of women who shouldn’t be parents won’t be parents. (OTOH, I’m glad she had you — being completely self-centered.)
Agreed on all counts.
I count myself as very lucky. My Mom was a typical Southern mother in the late 50’s and 60’s but is still my best friend. She taught me not to be prejudice and to think for myself. Even during the time when I thought she was dumber than a stump we still got a long as friends….. You know I guess she wasn’t the typical Southern Mother after all. LOL
Hi SN – that’s what I was thinking too … Andi this one is fantastic.
I think I do have a favorite but I haven’t posted it yet (probably because I’m afraid people won’t like it as much as I do).
How many days off do you have?
That frost flower is amazing. It looks for all the world like ribbon candy. Oh, post the other one. I bet it’s georgous.
I can’t remember if you’ve been around for the other frost flowers I’ve posted but in case you haven’t here are the other ones.
ff1
ff2
ff3
I had only seen the one from 12-02. They are fantastic. Thanks for the links. 🙂
I’ve got the week off … but I have to cram 3 separate christmas celebrations in there and still relax somehow … 🙂
being forced to go celebrate — it’s so tragic. 😉
And let’s not forget all that arduous ripping open of wrapping paper.
😛
I’ve got to get this report done so I better sign off.
See you all later.
Mornin’ Andi, Hi Ask, Howdy Refinish, Yo Olivia, Whassup SN.
I’m like a cat on a hot tin roof today. Speaking of cats, after our brush with rabies earlier this autumn, I currently have 2 strays living in my back room. They’re young, this year’s kittens, obvious litter mates who are not used to people so I had to trap them to make the grab. Now, am I nuts or what? I swear my need to care for all the animals that roam into my yard is a sickness. They are so gentle and sweet, I’m not sorry.
Eek, I’m a bundle of nerves today.
I swear my need to care for all the animals that roam into my yard is a sickness.
If it is, I wish we knew how to make sure other people caught it.
Thanks, Andi.
Being all infected with Christmas spirit, I thought I’d look for some heartwarming stories for today’s bucket o news (if there is one). All I’ve found are stories that are heartrending. I think I may have to do a little diary because there are stories that shouldn’t be ignored, especially at a time of year when so many of us are celebrating. There’s one about a detention center in Texas that houses families… that’s right, FAMILIES. That’s the one that hit me in the gut like a bowling ball. Skeletor’s (Chertoff’s)House of Horrors.
I’m going to go do that right now before I get sidetracked.
You’ve done a wonderful thing, Nag. Resist any state of mind that tells you differently.
Those kittens are mighty lucky creatures! I’m sure they’ll acclimate quickly, as kittens seem to do.
That’s a truly beautiful frost-flower image, Andi. What an incredible phenomenon! The delicacy of these forms is really too much. Can’t wait to check out your other ff links.
I’ve truly missed capturing interesting ice images this year so far, but if I manage to follow through with the general winter plan I’ll have plenty of opportunity.
Hope the rain’s moved off for your weekend!
As for the weather here, it remains typically consistent. Just grabbing a little (relatively) quiet time here before televised reality intrudes. I tell ya, when the programming’s uninteresting it’s like a dose of bad acid at the monkey-house.
It’s stil raining (with a chance of thunderstorms even) but the last of the heavy rain should be over today.
Upside is that all I have to do is step outside the door to get the wonderful flowing water sound.
Wonderful. I’ve always loved that.
Hope you’ve gotten outside with the Pack so they’re not unhappy.
radar makes it look like we’ll get a break this afternoon and since I seem to be in vacation shutdown mode, I’ll probably just take them if it stops.
Can’t tell you how gratified I am to know you’re already in vacation mode. I’m very pleased for you!
Now let’s hope Jim can chill out quickly.
your presence in the cafe has been a major encouragement in my efforts to ignore work. I am quite grateful.
Jim rarely chills out over an entire summer so 2 weeks isn’t likely to do it but he’ll enjoy himself anyway — especially because he’ll get to do lots of ice skating.
Ah. Good for Jim!
As for me, I’ve been more than pleased to encourage you as needed.
around here, but wanted to stop in for a howdy. Finished my shopping today — spouse will be braving the crowds today to shop for yours truly.
Glad to hear Ryan is recovering, SN…sorry to hear about the scary incident though. 🙁
Have a good one, folks…
radar shows we’re in a hole — here’s hoping it doesn’t close up because the pack and i are off for a walk.
Yipee! Wag wag!
Hello all. It’s bright and sunny here and I’m not at work. We have the day off. 🙂
And I finally got telephone service back at home after a day and a half.
I’m not off but I’m off — I can’t work up any interest in working.
I’m happy to distract you for a bit. 🙂
I finished my shopping this morning and now I’m eating lunch. Then I’m going to wrap the stuff I bought this morning.
I need to decide if I’m going to go to a holiday party later today. I should, but I don’t feel like it.
I just go an email from the “office” to tell the remote folks that everybody is leaving at 3:00 — I’m just ahead of the curve as usual.
I’m sure you know better than to ask my opinion on going to parties.
I think that the next hour before you “leave” should BE your regional office celebration. It’s only fair. The people who work together in an office spent this morning walking around giving people cookies and gifts. 🙂
I should have my party with Alise who is still stuck in her house in Colorado Springs.
snowed in? or just still stuck working at home?
We who work at home are never snowed in from work.
She can’t get off her street which even if you don’t want to go anywhere feels rotten.
Actually I LOVE being snowed in (as long as its not more than about 3 days).
I may not want to go anywhere but I like the idea that if did I could.
maybe the difference is … in the city I’m never really snowbound. If I had to I could put on boots and walk to a grocery store or quick shop.
Yeah, if we couldn’t get out the drive, we’d have a 5 mile hike to little country store, 9 to real grocery.
You could hook Giddy up to a sled. Mush!
Because it’s still wet out there (and I’m still not interested in working).
nice picture but … no dogs?
being the lord of all he surveys.
noble beast
glad you liked it ’cause now I’ll have to come up with another picture for thursday dog blogging.
You can use it again, I could look at it twice.
Beautiful, Andi! Truly love those images, as always. I’m so pleased that I’m familiar with the woodland environment & can add sounds, feeling, smells & motion to what I see. Naturally, that’s part of the reason I love them. A virtual home away from home (regardless of my ethereal location for the day).
They’re just great.
I’m logging off for a bit to feed myself & relax quietly, now that I’ve sent the diva off to the mall by herself. I figure she’d best get used to it (& I truly hate the mall). I’m glad I peeked back in for my little woodsy fix!
Cheerio, my dearios. Enjoy the day!
‘Hark! Who goes there? Do show thyself, creature! Could it be the ethereal woodland critter I’ve come to know, yet have not intimately sniffed? Pray, why doth the porcupine traverse these humps with burning tobacco under its nose? Take that damn pipe out of your mouth, you wench! ‘Tis my own domain, you beastly thing. Behave or we won’t share the couch with you.’
The pack is so wonderful!!!! I do love your pictures!!!
They’re so vibrant — look at that green!
I want to be there so bad …
there’s this 20th century invention called the airplane. I think Canada has them too …
If you go to Indiana I’ll drive over to see you for an afternoon. Just sayin .. 🙂
funny maryb … 🙂
if you go to Indiana I’ll come see you.
that sounds really nice … in all seriousness.
get your butt down here.
what Andi said!
first … but I’ve got the forms. There’s been a run on people trying to get their PPs before the new laws come into effect.
your futon awaits. 🙂
Does it come w/ furry love?
Got the final ok, so I’m going to finish up here. The next time you see the virtual me I’ll be free … weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee … 🙂
The moss and the ferns never lose their color through the winter and when there is rain they “perk up”. And you come be here any time you want.
Did you get your report done?
It’s done … just waiting on the ok before sending it off.
I take it you’ve started your two week holiday. 🙂
Yeah I’m suffering from premature vacation.
delighing?
revelling?
basking?
I’m at work right now, but I’m springing myself as soon as I possibly can. How is everyone?
I can’t speak for everyone but I am on vacation with nothing in particular that I have do (outside of a couple of family things) so I am obviously excellent.
Must be nice to have a huge holiday like Christmas that you aren’t obligated to do anything for so you can just sit back and watch everyone else go nuts. 🙂
That would work if I hadn’t married a non-Jew but since I did, I get to do two sets of holidays but we never have fights over which family gets the visit.
I’m off until Tuesday so I’m great. And all my shopping is done and all the gifts are now wrapped — at least the paper is on, but not all the bows. So I’m feeling very seasonal.
I still have to do all (well, most of) my shopping. Thankfully I don’t have to stress about it because I don’t have any money to spend. 🙂
Thank FSM for online grocery delivery. There are a couple of things I want to pick up in person, but if the lines at the store are backup up 2/3 of the way to the end of the aisle like they have been some years, I can just turn around and leave. Nothing I want to get is anything I absolutely need.