Day Thirty-One. Crazy Critter.

Aha! Caught him. Man, this sucker was a fast, whacky little bugger. I guess that's why some people are called "squirrely".

Day Thirty. My Sadie Baby.

It has been three years since Sadie and I became best buds. She was about to be put to sleep, and we accidentally became friends. Sadie and I are soul mates in many ways. I think we may have had a past life together. She is just one of those dogs that is more than a dog. We get each other. For me, she is the best dog a girl could have. I am so blessed to have her in my life. Everyday she makes me smile. Love you Sadie Baby!

Day Twenty-Nine. A Break from Winter.

Day Twenty-Eight. Fun, Fun, Fun...Fun, Fun!

New to me toys. Must get my nerd on and read up how to best use these babies. Thanks Brian!

Day Twenty-Seven. Cloud Painting.

Today was one of the most beautiful days we have had in a while and the sky was no exception. All day the clouds were forming and dancing in the sky. At times looking tumultuous, and then at times looking innocent and cascading in colors. It's funny to think that these clouds will make way for some stupendous freezing rain, sleet, and inches of snow in the coming hours.

Day Twenty-Six. The Sunset for the Trees.

This picture snuck up on me. I was out taking random pictures to see what I could come up with. And while having a blast walking around, enjoying the crisp January air, I turned around to head back to the Xterra when I saw it. The sunset. You know the saying "Can't see the forest for the trees", well as I was seeing the sunset through the trees in my viewfinder I knew it was magnificent. Whether or not my photography skills captures that is debatable. But what is true is that many times in our lives we wouldn't see past those trees for the beautiful sunset. Just a little food for thought.

Day Twenty-Five. Reflection Inspection.

When I heard the devastating news of the county courthouse to be demolished in respect for a new building, my heart sunk. Sure the building was old and beyond repair, however this building held so much history for our town and our county. So often now we make way for "bigger and better", when in fact all we do is create another building to be demolished in some thirty years or so. Why aren't we collecting our heritage and maintaining what was of our generations before us? Newer is not always better. Newer does not hold the secrets and memories of our past. Newer can devastate history.
And as the new courthouse was being built, the old was left to fall apart. Finally, the building was torn down to make way for the parking so desired. It has taken me a while to appreciate the idea of new architecture in the wake of the death of an old building. However, I have realized that at a certain point before the sun sets, and all seems to have quieted down, the sun kisses the building ever so gently. Just enough to manage a slight reflection of Old Glory. Just enough to make me think there might be a history to be had here.

Day Twenty-Four. The Horse's Behind.

Day Twenty-Three. I spy with my little eye....

Something *green*! Winter, are you finished yet?

Day Twenty-Two. Hope.

I'm not even going to try to explain this one, because this picture was for me.

Day Twenty-One. How to Crack the Code.

My pups hate the gate I have between the dining room and the living room. They know if they wait long enough they can finally cross the boundary and into the bedroom for the night. Boy, do those dogs love thier crates.

Day Twenty. My Eye to the Sky.

I saw two really amazing things in the evening sky tonight. One was a jet. Nothing important, you say? I beg to differ. The logistics of flying and actually getting a jet up and in the air is insane. To think of the technology, where we started and where we've came, it's just mind-boggling. Yet, just mere degrees to the south I see something even more breathe taking. The moon. Even in the day the moon still has a sort of presence that even jets, with their tailing vapors, cannot compete with. The awe-inspiring, dream-filling, world-connecting moon.

Day Nineteen. Illumination.

Funny to think that the standard incandescent light bulb has been around for well over one hundred years and the general idea has not changed.

Day Eighteen. Red in the Morn.

Now, this is how I like to start off a Monday morning. Some nice tea and a sunrise like this will soothe any soul.

Day Seventeen. The Golden Norseman.

This is the statue of The Golden Norseman at NEO A&M, the community college in my town. As a kid I always was fascinated with the statue. I loved reading about the Nordic legends and Viking tales. Also, a little known fact is the artist Charles Banks Wilson was the creator of the Norseman logo.

Day Sixteen. Kitty Juxtapose.

The first thing I noticed about my cats as I adopted them was their eyes. Asia's eyes shone as if they were made of gold. He has the most intense, and yet pondering, stare ever imagined. On the other hand, when I adopted Bella she was so small she didn't have any coloring on her body. The only thing that had color was her eyes. They were an ice blue. She was so tiny and her eyes were so big.

Day Fifteen. The Tree Pass.

Today has been a long, rainy, foggy, and, lastly, dreary day. I have felt every bit of it too. It's been one of those days were you just wish there was an exit. I was driving to clear my head and came across this fog ridden tree line. In the most random moment there was an opening and I couldn't help but wonder what sort of far-away place that it could lead to. Just beyond the fog, just past the tree pass.

Day Fourteen. How to Save a Life.

Donating blood is a sure way to save a life. One hour of my life is by far worth the life it will give someone else. It's not that scary. No one is really afraid of needles. The worst that is going to come out of this for me is a bruise. Plus I got a nice meal. Those ladies make the best ham salad. Back in two months.

Day Thirteen. Nine Tribes Building.

The nine tribes building is an apartment complex in my town. It represents the 9 tribes of the area: Eastern Shawnee, Miami, Modoc, Ottawa, Peoria, Quapaw, Seneca-Cayuga [Holla! :)], Shawnee, and Wyandotte. When I was very young my Great Aunt Joyce lived in this building. I remember going to see her often and as a kid I remember thinking how big the building. Now the building doesn't seem as tall, but it still holds good memories of my visits to Aunt Joyce. Miss you Aunt Joyce!

Day Twelve. Circuit Boards.

I have been waiting days for this. Well, this is the old one. But I have been waiting for long enough to get the new circuit board for my treadmill. It's funny how just one thing can go wrong and nothing will work.

Day Eleven. The Coleman Sunset.

The Coleman is one of the town's few aged buildings that will be around for much longer. The theatre is so detailed and it holds many stories to all that have passed it. And as I was driving home today the sun just caught the building perfectly.

Day Ten. What Boredom Leads To.

Today, boredom comes from me waiting as my pipes unfreeze in my home.
I can not wait until the weather warms up a little. Just enough where it's not frigid and dangerous. But not enough to melt all the snow. As for now, I'm stuck at the house and well...you know the rest.

Day Nine. Cat's Eye View.

I often wonder how the world would look if I were a cat. Always gazing and analyzing, I bet they see something bigger.

Day Eight. Tar Creek.

Superfund site or not, Tar Creek is really peaceful and has a life of it's own. The creek has the most soothing water sound of any flowing water around. It ripples and laps on the smoothed rocks in such a way that it almost speaks to you. Even today as most of it was frozen over there was still the quiet movement begging to be heard.

Day Seven. Weim Catching.

To catch a Weimaraner on film is a very tricky and time comsuming ordeal. Luckily I had one handy and the willingness to wait quietly outside in sub-zero windchills to capture said weim.

Day Six. The Frog.

God bless him, but I just love this little guy. I bet he has seen a lot in his years. Ribbet, ribbet.

Day Five. Asia.

Asia is my male cat. His fur is the funniest thing. It's more like the fur of a rabbit, very dense and different color underneath.

Day Four. Sky high.

Normally the words "ice" and "tree" do not bode well during the winter: thanks to the Ice Storm of '07. However, his image is a little less frightening.

Day Three. The river.

It snowed again last night. About two inches. I love the snow. Snow and I go way back. I know many people hate the snow for various reasons. I love it. It's so peaceful and forgiving. It makes everything look new and different. It makes everything look better than it did before. I decided to drive down to the river. It was cold, but worth the possible frostbite. I can't explain how quiet and relieving it was to stand by the banks of the Neosho. The water was lapping against the chunks of frozen ice floating. The trees were whistling in the wind. The snow was falling ever so softly and delicately. I wished I could have stayed there all night.

Day Two. Cheep Cheep.

Today is a lazy day. I have a headache that won't go away. Spending most of the day on the couch watching re-runs and history shows. Turned the volume down, as my head was thumping away, then I heard a fluttering and chirping going around. I thought it was odd, so I sit up and look around. On my front lawn yesterday I had sprinkled old cereal for the birds and today they found it. There where about 30 or so birds at a time. Flying up and down from the trees eating away at their little feast. They were so funny to watch interact. Stealing corn chips and cranberries from each other.

Day One. Let the Journey Begin.

New years resolution. One I will try to keep. I am going to take a picture everyday of 2010 and share it with you and the reason why I took the photo. Hang with me, this may be a bumpy ride. Hopefully it will be fun and worth doing. Here goes nothing...

This was taken just outside of the Big Lots store. My sister and I parked the car and got out when we looked up. The sky was rippling with color and teeny tiny clouds. It was beautiful. It looked like a pond, but in the sky. Peaceful and serene.