Backlit Bubbles by Anna

Thank you for the lovely bubbles in late day light, dear Granddaughter Anna.

You are a great guest blogger.  I love how you see your world and capture it!

(remember the mannequin legs in the pickup truck?)

xxoo

your Grandma,  FF Ruthie

backlit bubbles

Crop of a Bucket Challenge Photo, Catching the Action, Creating Awareness, Increasing Contributions

It’s all over the internet. Bill Gates did it with an elaborate contraption he designed.  Friends, neighbors, coworkers are challenging one another and the videos are all over social media.  People challenging others to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads to call attention to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.  ALS is defined on the ALS Association webpage as “Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.”  

One thing is the crazy stunt has not only gone viral, a dreaded disease- ALS  has come to the forefront and received  22.9 million dollars in donations, a marked increase from a year ago.   Of course there’s controversy and debate, too.  Are the participants really understanding what ALS is and how it affects those who have it? and their families? Others think it is a waste of perfectly clean water when so many parts of the world are in drought, or don’t have easy access to clean water.  Here is an excellent blog post about what an ALS Family REALLY thinks about this challenge

Yesterday, I was invited to photograph the cheerleading squad accepting the ice bucket challenge the first day of school.  I know they are fundraising and sending a donation in addition to pouring the water on their heads.

Here is a crop of that photo. 

(I was careful to keep the camera far from the ice water, though)  Here’s more information about ALS

Bucket ChallengeCrop

What I Saw on Reynolds Street Curb

 

 

 

 

After knitting at Ann’s, I drove her other friend to the Frick Market so she could order a fresh turkey.  Right across from Sterrett School.

And when I parked I saw all of these fine items waiting to picked up at the curb.   I talked to the people outside the market and they said they were going to be listed on Craiglist under CURB APPEAL

. It was the fake log fireplace and andirons that set the mood.

 

curb items

 

 

Late October Rose

This afternoon my friend Ann taught me how to knit a sock on two circular needles. As we knit, we drank some unusual organic herbal coffee (from a tea bag, no coffee beans involved) with a drop of almond milk.
Using two circular needles took time to get the hang of it. When I got home, I watched a video by Cat Bordhi on YouTube as a follow up. It’s good to learn new things.
So the double pointed needles are taking a break. I’m thinking about knitted gifts, wondering why I didn’t start in July- there’s not a lot of time before the holidays. We all know the family is eager to see what grandma has knit this year. Ha!
As I left Ann’s porch, I saw this stunning rose in a lovely light. Ann saw me stop on the steps and I called through the glass – “I’m photographing your rose!”

Thanks Ann. For the knitting instruction and your beautiful rose- almost November.

20131026-233358.jpg

Another Dryer Lint Creature Found in the Compost Bowl

What I Found in the Compost Bowl
What I Found in the Compost Bowl

 

What do you find in your dryer lint? I asked-   early June –  in a blog post

Here is another one for the series.  My family’s lint seems more interesting than mine at home.

(iPhone shot)

 

 

 

 

 

Whose Chair?

Found in McMurray PA on my way home from a First Bday party last Saturday evening.  I’d pulled off the main road cause I was traveling the wrong direction. Before I went to pull out I was able get the camera off my seat as I sat at a stop sign and catch this chair. Canon 70-200 lens on 5D.  I shot at ISO 100 and I wish I had changed it to 4oo.

McMurray PA

Who Do You Root For? For Whom Do You Root?

Is it whom or who?

 

Graduation on Saturday.  Everything going without a hitch. Supposed to be a solemn occasion.  Serious business.

I was standing with my camera, photographing the seniors as they filed in and found their rows.

Mr. Milinski, Health and Phys Ed teacher, Cross Country and Tennis Coach, was at the end of the first row.

Be seated after the National Anthem.

I hear a soft voice, “Ms. Hendricks, Ms. Hendricks.”

Mr. Milinski lifted his robe to reveal some crazy Green Bay Argyles.  Of course, I photographed them.

In fact, I think he wanted me to get the shot.   He seemed pleased that I captured his individuality.

This morning at school I ran into him in the main office and I asked him if it would be okay to blog his socks.

He said I could even use his name.  And I asked him why he was a Green Bay Fan in the middle of Pittsburgh? and his response was

“Because I’m smart!”

It Can’t Be Easy Being a Cheesehead Green Bay Fan (it’s not derogatory anymore) in a Sea of Steelers Fans!

was my original title.  

Mr. Milinski and I  had a chuckle and here’s the photo of his Cheesehead socks.  Everyone has their team allegiance, often due to place of residence or where one was born or hails from….can’t end a sentence with “from” either. Yikes.

I think he’s from the South Side of Pittsburgh, nowhere near Lake Michigan but I’ll check on that.

Green Bay Argyles

Analog Clock Faces Smile at 10:10

My old clock fell off the hook and a new battery couldn’t help it recover.

I found this turquoise retro looking kitchen clock last Saturday in Shadyside.  Oh how I love a second hand.   I really like to look at a clock with a face and get a visual as to how much time is left.  Most students like a digital clock for telling time.

My colleague used his Phillips screwdriver to remove the bolted kitchen clock out of the box.  I ‘d bought  it for my classroom.  I never really noticed the time at which the clock was set when we got it out of the box.

Mr. B (Bob) told me that clocks for sale are always positioned at the time of 10:10.  Huh, I had never really noticed that fact. I thought it would make an interesting post to think about.  Maybe everyone else already knows this.  Is it the same in other parts of the world.  I guess 9:09 or 8:08 or 3:03 wouldn’t look as good.

And sure enough there is information all over the internet about it and why. Timex says they set their timepieces at 10:09:36 exactly.

It shows off their name and is symmetrical.  Mental Floss has an article all about the myths and truths of the default setting  10:10 on watches and clocks for sale.

So I started thinking about digital clocks for sale and many of them online for sale are set at 12:34.  Who knew?  This is just something I haven’t thought about.

Thanks Mr. B.  (See Bob and Whiskers 1955 post)   He told me that even a broken clock shows the correct time twice a day!

Here’s the packaging for the kitchen clock for the classroom. You can see the three holes where the clock was screwed into the cardboard.  I thought of going to stores and photographing a multitude of clocks at the 10:10 setting but decided at this time of the school year, one photo of the photo on the packaging would suffice.

(an iPhone photo of a photo on the packaging)

Kitchen Clock Package