Curly Girl

PHOTO: HALF OF MY CURRENT STOCK OF HAIR PRODUCTS

I have natural curly "botticelli curls" hair. Day in and day out I hear how lucky I am for this. And although I do appreciate the fact I can have curly hair one day and straight the next (courtesy of a straight rod, weather permitting, and if I don't sweat), day in and day out I have to explain why natural curly hair is NOTHING like having a perm which is what some people think. (My mother used to put a perm in my hair as a child so it would be easier to manage!)

With a perm, you can scrunch/style your hair while blowing it dry. You can even spray a little water on a dry mop and wa-la, frizz less curls bounce up. With natural curly hair, you spray a little water and you get a freaky afro (trick: put a couple drops of lavender oil in distilled water and spray on your hair instead)! One side can be curlier then the other, or you just plain and simply have a patch of straight locks in the middle of your head. Normally you can not use a hairdryer, even on a cool setting, on your natural curls unless you use a pound of gel, mousse, or serum (no matter how much the product cost) with a diffuser, then your hair usually looks wet all day long (defeats the purpose of getting highlights, doesn't it?).

Nor you can't wash your hair in the morning and let it drip dry, because you will have a mad amount of frizz to deal with, unless of coarse you live in the desert where there is z-e-r-o chance of 1% humidity. For soft-non-brittle curls, you must only shampoo your hair once to twice a week. That does not mean, however, you don't rinse your hair in the shower with water and conditioner every evening. (you keeping up on this?) Then and only then can you let it dry on it's own in a normal temperature-humid free room overnight. Let's not forget to rotate your hair products every few weeks. And there is no need for a comb/brush. If you comb/brush a wet head of natural curly hair, it will dry frizzy. Natural curls only work with fingertips, but picks work in the shower when you are trying to rid snarls.

SNARLS! YES! Forget the thought of having anyone run their fingers through your dry hair. Naturally curly hair is usually one ball of snarls. If you try to rid them, you guessed it, frizz.

So with that said; I beg to differ when people say "I wish I had natural curly hair". No, you wish you had a perm. They are about 70 bucks (depending on length) in salons these days or $15.00 for a box at the drugstore, they are no more expensive then the mass amount of hair products one needs for natural curly hair, and they are easier to take care of.

P.S. If you suffer from natural curly hair woes, I strongly suggest the book - Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey. She talks about the three different types of natural curly hair: corkscrew, botticelli curls, and wavy curls, how to have your hair cut, how to wash your hair, and what products work best (this is where I learned the lavender trick).

Tell A Story

PHOTO: RUNAWAY TRAIN 2009

About a week ago, I was making small talk at work with a fellow teammate. She had asked if I had taken any new photos lately and I responded that I had. I also mentioned that a gentleman who was a photographer himself, and whom had won noted awards for some of his photographs, had seen them and commented that I had a "definite style" and a "good eye" for the craft. "Well yours aren't award winning!" She snorted in response.

What she failed to recognize is that my photographs are not intended for National Geographic or Life magazine (assuming that is her definition of a award winning photograph?). I am merely an amateur who has one basic photography course under her belt, a Canon EOS Rebel XT 350, and one who looks at things differently (I am a Gemini after all!). I like my photographs to merely be thought provoking to the viewer and myself. It's a hobby. Nothing more, nothing less.

For example, the train tracks in the above photo first remind me of two things: the song Runaway Train by Soul Asylum and the movie Stand By Me both favorites in my adolescence. Then I start to wonder where these tracks start and stop geographically. How long have they been there and who laid them? I don't spend a grand amount of time looking at a piece analyzing the story behind it, rather little blurps run through my head, and then I move onto the next. If my photos do that for you, then I accomplished what I set out to do, and that is a gift (award) in itself.

Thanks for viewing. ;O)

LUCKY'S CLOSET

Photo: my rockin new shoes

Recently I paged through a fashion magazine left in the office lunchroom to see what styles are up and coming, but more importantly to check out the article about how to keep your wardrobe budget friendly. My interest quickly diminished when in that said article they listed a bangle (meaning ONE) for $40.00. Okay, who's budget are we referring too? Because people in my tax bracket usually don't spend money as foolishly as forty dollars for a bangle.

Off hand, I could think of multiple ways to make $40.00 stretch into an entire outfit, and then thought of all the places that I find the best deals at. Here is my list:

SHOES - Bealls and Bealls Outlet, Kohls, Sears

NECKLACES/EARRINGS/RINGS - Francesca's Collections & Kohls

HATS/SCARVES/HANDBAGS - Target

TOPS - Target, JCPenny, Bealls

DRESSES - Kohl's

JEANS - American Eagle & Aeropostale

BRAS/PANTIES - Victoria Secret (5 for 25 deals are the best and these garments last longer!)

So I will take the style ideas from the magazine, apply them to my budget, and will still look killer. :p

HAPPY SHOPPING!

A Few Of My Favorite Things........

Photo: my (current) favorite handbag

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens; Brown paper packages tied up with strings; These are a few of my favorite things.........

the smell of a cup of warm tea

smores by the campfire

the sound of rain

a child's giggle

an unexpected note/card in the mail

making snow angels

watching Brandee chase her ball with glee

a good laugh with family/friends

sparkling snow softly falling to the ground on Christmas eve

the smell of fresh flowers

playful kittens

long walks on country roads during the fall season

.........When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad,I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel so bad!!!!!

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Photo: Purple flowers 2009

I recently met a woman named Candace. She is in her mid 80s and full of life. She makes all her own clothes, insists on wearing pumps, and wears thick white rimmed glasses over her purple painted eyelids. When chatting with her, I found out that her mother owned a clothing factory and this is what she was destined to take over. Miss Candace, however, had other plans. She wanted to become a sailor and did so by joining the Norwegian Merchant Marines in the 1940's (after doing a little research, I found that there were 33000 seamen in the NMM in that time frame and hundreds were women.). But first, she decided that she needed to get a tattoo, as all sailors had ship tattoos! She was turned away from mulitple tattooists because they didn't think a pretty young lady should have a tattoo, but she insisted and alas has a ship tattooed on her upper thigh. She admitted that once she came back to stateside, she had to wear a bandage over the tattoo when she was wearing a swimsuit, as it was such a taboo back then.

She is now widowed with four grown children. She entered college at the age of 69, plays guitar in a band, drinks a glass of wine at diner every night, loves to scrapbook and make greeting cards for family and friends, and sews all her own bedspreads and drapes. I find her such a delight and feel inspired to keep on doing what I am doing. Just proves the saying to be true: not all who wander are lost.

FUN FOTO FRIDAY

Photo: SNEAKERS by Lady Luck

Recently I learned how to work with texture in photoshop. Thought this one of my sneakers turned out pretty cool. :O)

A Dead Man's Hand

Photo: Wild Bill Hickok - credit google images

I spent two New Years Eves in a row in Deadwood, South Dakota a few years back. The other two options were going to house parties or into Rapid City, and it just seemed everyone was going up in the hills to freeze their butts off waiting in line to get into the saloons, so I might as well joined them.

The first year I spent the evening with my friends in the Saloon #10 drinking, socializing, and watching folks play their hands at poker. The second year was spent at a private party at a local biker chapter building hosted by some friends. Both years I slipped and slid down the sidewalks in high heels with my teeth chattering to watch the Deadwood ball come down at midnight. Other then that, I was never a big fan of Deadwood. The parking was usually a nightmare and I am not much of a gambler.

The Saloon #10 was (is) one of the favorite saloons in Deadwood by the clan I was associated with. Although from what I understand, the original Saloon #10 was further up the street then where it is currently located now, and is mostly known for Wild Bill Hickok's murder. Wild Bill was many things back in his day. He was a scout for the Union Army, a guide on the Santa Fe Trail, Marshall, Sheriff, toured with the Wild West Show, credited for 100 or more deaths of badmen, and a noted gambler.

In the fall of 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was playing cards in the Saloon #10 when he was shot in the back of the head. At the time of his death, Hickok was holding a pair of black aces and a pair of eights, and this became known as "A Dead Man's Hand".

And there you have a bit of history for the day! :O)

Ya Had To Have Been There (Moment)

Photo credit: veganmonth.com

My sister is a vegan, and although I do not follow this way of living myself, I do admire her determination and self control to do so. With that said, let me tell you a story........

Last December my sister and ma came to visit me for a weekend. On one of our outings, we stopped at an establishment at my request. My mother made her order and I stepped up to the counter to make mine. It was then my sister's turn. She stood at the counter looking up at the menu, she was very quiet and seemed to be taking it all in. She then sincerely said: "Do you have anything Dairy-free?". The counter person looked quite perplexed. There was a moment of silence and then I nearly buckled over to the floor in a fit of laughter. This wasn't just any ha-ha moment. It was first we snort, then our eyes start to water, then we gasp for air because the belly laugh has taken completely over.

My mother, who did not hear the request, stood there looking confused at my outburst, but then started to slowly giggle because I was laughing so heartily. I tried very hard to stop embarrassing myself but the sentence my sister just spoke was just so unbearably funny to me and was repeating in my head (not to mention the look on the counter person's face). This was because we were at the Dairy Queen.

Now for you, the reader, this may have brought out a chuckle or maybe just a smirk, however, I type this because I cannot tell the story without having to pause multiple times through laughter. It's probably one of those stories you have to label under: Ya had to have been there.

P.S. My sister's side of the story would include that Orange Julius has dairy free treats, but again I will point out that I was laughing at the fact that we were at the DAIRY Queen asking for something dairy-free. ;O)

A Country Girl Will Survive

Photo: Ringsaker Church by BJS 2009

The original Ringsaker (pronounced Ring-socker) Lutheran church was built 1891, however, a tornado in 1902 destroyed the structure. A completely new church under the same name was built in 1918. This church is a few miles east of the old family farmstead, although I don't know all the history we share other then my big brother, Chad (born/died on October 1st, 1966), grandparents, and other family is buried at the (North) Ringsaker Cemetery. This cemetery is located a mile down the gravel road from Ringsaker; not the cemetery behind the actual church.

Frog Point (whose history lies with Canadian immigrants and fur trading) is an area that lies next to the River River on the North Dakota side behind this church as well. It is cleverly hidden from the road and is an area with park shelters for family reunions, weddings, and other gatherings. And just on the other side of the river is Climax (MN), where my parents owned The Corner Bar, a grocery store, and mobile home park. This was of coarse before I was born. By the time I came along, my ma worked in the fields on the potato harvesters and Tim was a insurance agent. I only lived in the country until I was four, then my parents divorced, and we (ma, sister, and I) moved into town, but my roots lie out there.

There is some great irony in all that. Once we moved into town, we lived in a mobile home park and I was called "white trash" by my bestfriend's mother. She was not allowed to come play at my home until we much older, when her mom seemed to relax alittle bit. In my late teens I started to date a farm boy (whom I later married/divorced) from north of town, and his friends never really accepted me since I was a "city girl". Sometimes you just can't win (even if you weren't a willing participant in the game in the first place).

Anyhoos.......one of my patient's recently sent me an email of a photo slide-show of churches around the world. This then made me think of Ringsacker. I asked my sister to take a photo of the church for me as I am half way across the country from there now. Lucky for me, she and my mother attended a renewed vow ceremony there Saturday night so I got lots!!

Me At The Moment

At the moment......

I am sipping Peppermint Tea.

Feeling exhausted.

Daydreaming of a bigger casa with two wooden rockers for the porch.

Smelling my coconut lime soy candle in the air.

Pondering on starting The Last Lecture or wait for another day.

Glancing at the Netflix envelope that holds Deadwood (season 1, disc 2)

Thinking my teabag caddy reminds me of Alice In Wonderland.

Listening to some kind of insect buzzing outside my window.

Smiling when I think of the future.

Goodnight.

Water for the soul

I do not know what year this Desoto is, but by the looks of its' exterior, it has seen a lot of fun! I can't help but wonder how many kids learned how to drive in this car, how many teenagers made out while at the drive-in movies, or how many miles of highway it traveled before it landed itself where it was parked.

My first car I owned was a black 1989 Chevy Beretta GT. But before then, there was the 1978 Ford LTD. It was silver with blue interior, and a hood that seemed a least 3 feet longer to look over then any other car I had driven in. For every bump you went over, you felt your stomach flutter, as it seemed as though all four wheels were off the ground and you were flying. This of coarse, was not my vehicle, but my BFF, Branon. He thought it was so dang cool that our friends and myself thought this was the neatest car ever. I was just tickled pink that he let me drive this beast.

I can still remember cruising up and down So. Washington Street on my birthday while Metallica's Ride The Lighting cassette played in the deck. And feeling quite bummed when he parked the Silver Bullet at his grandmother's farm and started driving a gas saver Toyota. But not before this load of metal and steel beat my Beretta in a race. Amy and I thought fore sure we left Branon and Patrick in the dust (we saw them behind us!) yet, when we smugly drove into the farm's driveway thinking we had won, there he sat on the hood like he had been there for hours.

Sadly, Branon was killed on Father's Day in 1994. But memories like that are like a saying I saw today: Water for the soul. Until we met again. xoxo

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Photo: MUSIC SHEETS ~ for the Violin-Uke

Photo: Violin-Uke

Photo: BUCKLE ~ guitar case

Photo: GUITAR ~ This was one of my grandma's guitars that was also given to me. I do not know how to play it though.

Photo: HARMONY

Off To Grandma's House We Go

Photo: Ede and her sister (Verna?) ~ date unknown


My grandmother, Edith, turned 91 young this past June. She and I share the same birthday and every year I hear the story about when I was born she was the first one to hold me. Throughout the years I would spend summers with her; performing plays in the backyard, creating bead projects, watching Young & The Restless in the mid morning and The Walton's before bed, and making Play Doh out of flour, water, and a dash of food coloring. Another past time with gma was learning to play an instrument. She taught me to play the piano with numbers taped to the keys (which does me no good now. HA!), a very sad (and short) attempt at the accordion, and the violin-uke.


The past year gma had to be moved into a nursing home and I acquired one of the two family violin-ukes. According to ma, a traveling salesman came to the farm and sold one to the family and the other was given to the family from a neighbor. The price on this beaut at the time was $28.50 which was probably like a hundred dollars to us this day in age. To play the violin-uke one needs to use one hand to pluck at the cords and the other to glide the bow across the strings. But alas this piece does not have a instruction book, and I don't recall how to read the notes on the music sheet, so it sits in it's mothball stenched case.


I also had a short musical career in the percussion field. I played the drums all of my 6th grade year (sports became more important in junior high) and all I really remember of that time was lugging that VERY heavy snare drum case back and from school and sounding out the doub-a-strok-a-roll while beating out double stroke rolls in band class. One day, I think I will attempt to relearn the piano this time, however, by learning the notes. ;O)

5 Memories of Visiting Gma:

• Performing a play with my sister and little cousin Terry
• Play Doh making in the kitchen
• The Murphy bed in the little house on the hill
• Listening to gma play on the piano
• Raiding the chocolate pudding stash in the bottom cupboard

P.S. I will post photos of my violin-uke in another blog. :O)

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Photo: American Flag 2009

Independence Day celebrates the birthday of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America is celebrating it's 233rd birthday today! The day is usually spent attending parades, picnics, boating, and/or firework shows. It's also the day that Americans purchase the most BEER (as I heard on the radio earlier today).

Happy Birthday America!

American Folklore

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in this photo are situated in the small town of Bemidji, MN.

I saw these statues at least once if not twice a year growing up because my aunt and uncle lived in Bemidji. I took for granted how cool the stories about this mythological lumberjack and his ox were and find it somewhat sad that a lot of children in this day in age probably never heard of this giant and his ox.

There are many tales of Paul and Babe, however, something I did not know is that legend has it Babe was buried in South Dakota. And his burial mound forms what is now known as the Black Hills. I find this amusing since I lived in the Black Hills of South Dakota for nine years and never heard this story.

In this photo my sister, her friend, and I were posing for my mother & her camera. I am guessing I am about 11 or 12 years old? We were on a camping trip at the nearby Gull Lake Campground. My mother brought us into town and we each got new t-shirts (which we are wearing in the photo) from one of those t-shirt shops where you could pick the image you wanted stamped (iron on) the shirt. This was big in the 80's so no doubt this will be making a come back in the near future. ;O)

I cannot help but hear the song Holiday Road (Lindsey Buckingham) and have flashes of National Lampoon's Vacation when I look at this photo. Although the Griswolds never visited Paul and Babe on their quest to Wally World, you see a photo of the statues in the beginning of the movie while the actors names flash across the screen.

I have seen quite a bit of the midwest since I grew up there. I have visited Mt. Rushmore numerous times, hiked up and walked on the arm of Crazy Horse during the annual Volksmarch, visited the Badlands, stood in awe looking at Devil's Tower, can say I have been to WALL DRUG, drove Montana from one end to the other, and shopped at the Mall of America not to mention camped at a few of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. But there are other places I'd like to see such as:

Top 5 places I'd like to visit:

1. Statue of Liberty

2. Graceland

3. Yellowstone National Park

4. Grand Canyon

5. Lake Tahoe

What a great & beautiful country I live in. With that said, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY weekend everyone!

Presents

Photo: "A New Day" 2009

I love mornings. I love waking up to the sun rising, the silence in the room, how incredibly soft the sheets feel on my skin. My shoulders feel light, my head clear, and the possibilities of the day seem endless. Doesn't matter if I have to work that day or not, the first few minutes are always the best, and are ones I treasure.

This photo was taken in the wee hours of the morning, and I think it captures exactly how I feel in those first few minutes of a new day. I had spotted this tree while hunting for a junk yard to take some photos of old cars. The neighborhood this tree was in was not the safest nor the cleanest so I decided to come back the early the next day. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I would not have captured how the rising sun's light fell down around the tree. How it seems to guide your eyes up. How peaceful a new day really is.

As said in the children's movie Kung Fu Panda: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present." Although hard as it may, one should think of it that way when dealing with a difficult co-worker, a needy family member, or an inconsiderate friend. In the stresses of everyday life or with health concerns. It's all in the way you look it.

I hope you had a wonderful day and tomorrow is even better.