SkyWatch Friday: Candle Lanterns

This young family was lighting and letting sail several billowy candle lantern balloons over Pewaukee Lake this evening.  So pretty against the deep blue of the sunset. (Sorry for the grainy photo - this was taken with  my shaky cell-phone!) See more "SkyWatch Friday" feature photos here.

The Back Steps

The backyard steps of this big, green house face the parking lot of the assisted living home where my mother used to live. The big pot of red geraniums reminds me of her, since she was an expert at over-wintering them every year at our old house.

She would have been 96 years old this month. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Theme Day: Numbers

1 Corinthians 13: My nephew had this verse tattooed on his body earlier this spring.  Pretty bold, but a nice sentiment!

See other entries in City Daily Photo's "Theme Day" for August here.

Remembrance

With all the hectic things happening in my life these past few months, including the loss of my beloved mother of 95 years back in February, it's been a while since I've had a chance to post. In reviewing a few images from the past I've selected this one to post in her memory.  It was taken by my father, Oscar, back in the 1940's. He was a professional portrait and landscape photographer in the La Crosse, Wisconsin area during the mid-20th century. He learned the trade from his grandfather, Ole E. Flaten, who was quite a photographic pioneer in the Moorhead/Fargo area back in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

You can't tell from the B&W image, but Orvie had dark red auburn hair and aqua green eyes. Note that she is wearing white gloves - very popular with the ladies back in those days. I absolutely love that hat and the sparkle in her eyes, which she had until the end.

Now, in this new spring, I look forward to gardening again, which was one of her passions.  We cherish the memories of the past, but look forward to the promises of the future.

Happy Anniversary!

This month we'll celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary. I just love the smiles on our faces in this vintage photo as we walk down the aisle as Mr. & Mrs. As with any relationship, there have been many ups and downs, and we don't always see eye-to-eye. But it's been said that a good marriage is not based on how much you agree, but how you manage things when you don't.

Distraction

Meet the reason we've all been a little distracted around here lately: Harriet. She's my daughter Kate's new little CockaPoo, just about 15 weeks old. At 8.5 lbs, she looks a lot bigger than she is...& most of it is fluff! She lives with Kate at her apartment, but spent most of this past weekend at our house and got to know our dog, Nik (who loved her) and our cat, Phoebe (who did not!)

Happy Birthday to You!

I don't normally post pictures of people in this blog, but I had to make an exception for my mom, Orvie. We celebrated her 93rd birthday last weekend up in La Crosse, WI. I think this photo captures the animation and excitement that she has carried with her throughout life.

Born on an isolated farm in rural western Wisconsin in 1916, she spoke only Norwegian until she entered first grade. The one room school she attended was luckily just down the road from her family's farm, so no 5 mile walks to school [uphill both ways] for her. Although, she loves to tell stories about skiing to school during the winter months with her 4 siblings. When she started high school in the nearby town of Westby, her older brother drove them in a horse-driven sleigh during the winter.

They grew corn and tobacco ( the kind used for rolling cigars) and raised livestock such as chickens, pigs and cows. The depression hit the farming community hard and when she was a sophomore in high school, her parents lost their farm. They moved to the city of La Crosse and her father was lucky to find work in a factory, while she became a nanny and housekeeper. She never was able to go back to school. Eventually she found better work as a waitress and met my dad, a professional photographer. And the rest, as they say, is history :-)

My dad died in 1980 and she continued to live in the same house (mowing her lawn and shoveling her walk because she could never trust the people we arranged to do this work "to show up.") until just a few years ago when she broke her hip. One of our favorite memories of her is going sledding with the grandkids at the golf course when she was 77 years old -- hoisting the sled back up the hill each time.

She now has her own apartment in an assisted living community and despite some hearing issues, is in fairly good health for her age. The only medication she needs is Atenolol for her heart rate. She attributes her longevity to hard work and "never feeling sorry for myself as there is always someone else who has it worse." Grandma will NOT be attending your pity-party.The occasional glass of wine helps, too.

Blow out the candle and make a wish, Grandma O! :-)