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365 in 52 [2021] ~ Week Thirty-Nine

October 3, 2021

Day 267, Friday, September 24th, 2021

Pork, It’s What’s for Dinner

Even though I don’t eat meat, I’m happy to cook it for my family. Curtis and Dominic enjoy barbecue-seasoned pork chops from HEB. They only take about 15 minutes on the grill and are good with veggies or on a bun.

New Braunfels food photographer — Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/2.8 | 1/250 | ISO 2000 | handheld

Day 268, Saturday, September 25th, 2021

Butterfly Visit

This gorgeous yellow tiger swallowtail butterfly came to visit last weekend and stayed a long time feeding from our plumbago blossoms. This is one of the biggest butterflies I’ve seen here! They move rather quickly so I was hard to get a shot with all parts of it in focus but this isn’t too bad. It was also super bright out with high contrast lighting, not the most ideal conditions in which to shoot. I thanked the butterfly for visiting and had a moment of gratitude for being out in nature.

New Braunfels nature macro butterfly photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/6.3 | 1/500 | ISO 200 | handheld

Day 269, Sunday, September 26th, 2021

Honoring Jenny

Dominic asked me a couple of weeks ago to explore getting his hair colored. At first, he wanted to go blue or something dramatic but then he said he wanted to honor Jenny, his big sister. Jenny was a little younger than him when she first started experimenting with hair color so of course, I said sure! We decided to try box color because it’s cheap, it’s pretty effective, and it slowly fades away after a few months. He even let me apply the color! (Sorry his entire face isn’t focused, I’ve been having some vision issues and I’m getting an eye exam next week.)

New Braunfels lifestyle portrait photographer — Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/1.8 | 1/200 | ISO 640 | handheld

Day 269, Sunday, September 26th, 2021

After Coloring

Here’s the after! A nice coppery red to match Jenny and I think it looks pretty good with his skin tone. My mother’s father was a ginger, we come from Scottish stock, so I think this color looks great on Dominic. He gots lots of compliments at school. It was so fun when he FaceTimed Jenny to do the big reveal. She loved it!

Day 270, Monday, September 27th, 2021

I took a photo today but I can’t share it yet because it’s for the October assignment theme for the New Braunfels Photographic Society. I’ll share it next week though!

Day 271, Tuesday, September 28th, 2021

Watching Cowboys vs Eagles

As soon as Anna got home from Life Bridges on Tuesday, she and Daddy started watching the Dallas Cowboys game that recorded the night before. They played the Philadelphia Eagles. She was all smiles, wearing Dak’s jersey of course! She cheered him on to victory! Curtis came across some Cowboys tickets for sale for this weekend and thought it would be a nice surprise to take Anna to a game. After he purchased the tickets and invited his dad to join us (Dominic didn’t want to go), we told Anna. She was NOT happy! She wanted to meet Dak and if she couldn’t do that, she didn’t want to go. Sigh. She actually had a couple of grumpy days because of the whole thing. So Curtis sold the tickets. Wah wah.

New Braunfels lifestyle photographer — Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/4.5 | 1/200 | ISO 1600 | handheld

Day 272, Wednesday, September 29th, 2021

Prepped for Second Cataract Surgery

Mom finally had her second cataract surgery. Her first one was postponed due to mechanical issues with the equipment. Then last week, her surgeon got sick and had to postpone again. So she went three weeks in between surgeries when it’s supposed to be only two. She was sick of not seeing! During the pre-op preparation, they dilate the eye that is getting operated on… can you tell which one it is? LOL! She said the second surgery went much smoother than the first and now she doesn’t have to wear glasses anymore!

Day 273, Thursday, September 30th, 2021

Abdominal Ultrasound for Dominic

Dominic is continuing to have tummy issues despite his gastroenterologist trying multiple approaches including medication and diet changes. He’s lost 30 pounds since January and doesn’t have much of an appetite. So Dr. Arnold ordered an abdominal ultrasound which was performed on Thursday. (I took mom to her post-op appointment in the morning and Dominic’s appointment in the afternoon.) No results yet, we are hoping to hear from the doc early this upcoming week. Prayers always appreciated.

Thanks for looking!

365 in 52 [2021] ~ Week Thirty-Eight

September 25, 2021

Day 260, Friday, September 17th, 2021

Tiny Succulent

I’ve been feeling a little bored this month, the kids haven’t had a lot going on. So I wandered over to my mom’s porch. She always has new plants waiting to be re-potted. I found these tiny succulents… this particular one was less than 3 inches big. The pot was about 2”x2” and I was enchanted with the spears and spots. Isn’t it cool looking?

New Braunfels nature macro photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/6.3 | 1/160 | ISO 180 | handheld

Day 261, Saturday, September 18th, 2021

Bark Box

Dominic’s birthday gift for Nana was super late, not sure what caused the delay. It was supposed to arrive September 10th and didn’t get here until the 17th. Dominic got it wrapped up Saturday morning and took it to mom. It was a trial Bark Box with 2 stuffed toys and a ton of treats. Teddy was so happy and mom was thrilled too. Teddy wasn’t entirely sure about the Beaver toy but he loved the Smores squeaker!

Day 262, Sunday, September 19th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 263, Monday, September 20th, 2021

Black Swallowtail

I haven’t seen a swallowtail in years! This one came to visit (and actually if you watch my 1SE project at the end of the month, you’ll see it joined by a friend!) and fluttered all around the plumbago. Swallowtails flutter their wings continually and very very fast. I should’ve increased my shutter speed significantly but I was too distracted by trying to get a shot. Seriously, it didn’t stop moving and flitted from flower to flower so quickly, I could barely keep it in frame. The lighting is harsh and his top wings are blurred, but his eye is focused and I was pleased to get a usable shot.

Day 264, Tuesday, September 21st, 2021

Frog Drops

Our sprinklers went off on Tuesday and the sun was shining so pretty through the drops that I was compelled to get a photo. I tried to focus on the two drops balanced precariously on the leaf just to the left of center (I didn’t want to crop in because I LOVE water bokeh so much!). The two drops look like frog eyes to me, do you see it?

Day 265, Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

No photos today.

Day 266, Thursday, September 23rd, 2021

Lola Lou

Lola was getting quite shaggy so she got a haircut this week. Isn’t she a sweet girl? She loves snuffling in the grass to find insects and interesting smells. She is my little loaf of potato bread.

Thanks for looking!

365 in 52 [2021] ~ Week Thirty-Seven

September 18, 2021

Day 253, Friday, September 10th, 2021

Shopping Success

I HATE shopping, I mean I really hate shopping. It seems to end up that over half the stuff I buy shrinks or wears weird and I end up not wearing it after one or two washes. I desperately needed some new shirts so I popped into Belk last Friday afternoon and found FOUR tops! This is a huge deal for me! YAY!

Day 254, Saturday, September 11th, 2021

Nana’s Gifts

Saturday was my mom’s 72nd birthday. We got her a few gifts which I didn’t have a chance to wrap until Saturday morning. That’s just as well because my mom is a sneak and will poke and prod her presents to tease me. She’s an amazing gift wrapper and always has ribbons, bows, and other decorations… mine is just paper. I am a neat gift wrapper, just no frills.

Day 254, Saturday, September 11th, 2021

Singing to Nana

Mom wanted a white cake from HEB and some Tipsy Cow. Mike hooked me up with a 1/2 gallon of chocolate chip… omg it was amazing. We all gathered in the kitchen to sing Happy Birthday to Nana and she was all smiles!!! We feel so blessed to have my mom with us and don’t take her for granted. Side note: that t-shirt was a gift from Jenny for her birthday last year! It says Read Books and Fight the Patriarchy.

Day 254, Saturday, September 11th, 2021

Design Remix

Mom has gotten into watching home interior design shows and clips on YouTube. One of the items on her wishlist was this book, Design Remix. Anna really wanted to give this to her and mom was thrilled to receive it. She and Jenny spent most of the afternoon looking through it (poor mom, one eye at a time… only another week until she gets her second eye surgery). With Jenny getting ready to build her first home, she and mom got lots of design ideas. I think mom has even started a Pinterest board for Jenny, lol! They called me over several times to share the beautiful rooms. This designer definitely has an eye for layering beautiful fabrics, colors, and shapes into a cohesive look.

Day 255, Sunday, September 12th, 2021

Another Orb Weaver

The orb weavers are proliferating right now! I found this big one in between our fire bush and our rose bush. The web is so pretty and delicate, until you accidentally walk into one. (True story, feeding the deer earlier this week I walked through one by my fence line that was strung between the tree and the fence. You should have seen me dancing around!) I approached this orb weaver more cautiously because it was so big and asked permission to photograph it. I really love this side view!

New Braunfels macro spider nature photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/13 | 1/250 | ISO 1600 | handheld

Day 256, Monday, September 13th, 2021

Anna’s Chocolate Chip Muffin

Anna’s been on her new med, Paxil, for a couple of weeks now. We have seen a big reduction in meltdowns and less OCD symptoms too. Monday she came home with chocolate chip muffins that she had made at Life Bridges, so super proud of herself. Her job coach, Deanna, is the bee’s knees! Anna went to HEB to shop on Tuesday, worked at Arlan’s on Wednesday, walked to Stripes on Thursday, and earned a pizza party with friends on Friday. Friday morning they had several team members absent and were short staffed for work at Arlan’s and Anna volunteered to work 1/2 shift! WHAT?!? She got Shout Outs nearly every day. We are so freaking proud of this girl.

New Braunfels macro food photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/4.5 | 1/200 | ISO 1250 | handheld

Day 257, Tuesday, September 14th, 2021

Mimosa Yellow

I went back out to check on our big orb weaver by the rose bush and saw this pretty yellow butterfly fluttering around. It really really liked our fire bush! I stood stock still and started following it around with my camera and got this shot. I got so nervous every time it went near the spider web, I was sure it was going to get caught. But it seemed to know it was there and just skirted by it each time it flew near.

New Braunfels macro flower butterfly nature photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/13 | 1/250 | ISO 1600 | handheld

Day 258, Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

Faux Louis Vuitton

One of my big surprise gifts this year for my birthday was this bag and wallet from Jenny. She said, “Now mom, when you open it, it’s NOT what it seems!” I pulled out a Louis Vuitton outer cover bag and gasped. Jenny started explaining that it’s a super high quality faux label that she found on Instagram. Wow, I was floored. I LOVE the bag and the wallet! I had a little scarf on my previous purse that I lost in Key West so I went on Etsy and found this adorable purse handle scarf wrap with an attached bow and key from DMonogram Designs. I LOVE it!!!

New Braunfels lifestyle product photographer — Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/2.8 | 1/200 | ISO 220 | handheld

Day 259, Thursday, September 16th, 2021

Filling Out Host Home Paperwork

Back in February, we found out that Anna’s name finally came up on the HCS (Home and Community Services) interest list that we put her on when she was 5 years old. It’s a program that provides individualized services to people with intellectual disabilities. It’s considered the Cadillac of services so we were excited to finally get started with them. It’s taken months and months but we are this close to starting up. I chose to be Anna’s Host Home, since I’m already taking care of her and we have no immediate plans to change anything. Basically, I will be paid to teach Anna basically living skills, and will need to fill out weekly reports on how I’m helping her with those goals. The Host Home application was over 30 pages long, so I spent a couple of days at the table filling it out.

Thanks for looking!

365 in 52 [2021] ~ Week Thirty-Six

September 14, 2021

Day 246, Friday, September 3rd, 2021

Orb Weaver Egg Sac

As I went out on the front porch to fetch an Amazon package, I noticed a small orb weaver had spun a web next to our standing vase. Pam came out and sat with me as I took photos. She is into insects even more than I am! Since I had gotten a spectacular image just a couple of weeks ago of an orb weaver down by the mailboxes, I decided not to share another one. But Pam noticed an egg sac carefully suspended up by our doorbell. She looked it up and sure enough it belongs to an orb weaver spider. Isn’t it amazing? The pattern and how it’s suspended by silken threads is beautiful to me. It’s a little less than an inch big.

Day 247, Saturday, September 4th, 2021

Gregg and Pam Love

Gregg and Pam graciously allowed me to take a photo of them before they went to Austin to celebrate their anniversary. I was just setting up my gear when they glanced at each other, and I was lucky enough to get this shot. I can feel so much love and history in this look. They’ve been together almost as long as me and Curtis.

New Braunfels portrait lifestyle photographer — Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/4.5 | 1/250 | ISO 400 | handheld

Gregg and Pam Smiles

I feel so lucky to have found my sisters, just sad that it took us this long to connect. It’s spooky how much Pam and I have in common, from what we like, our senses of humor, products we buy, even what we like to watch for entertainment. Gregg fit in easily as well, I didn’t expect him to open up much this first visit but he seemed to really feel comfortable. That makes me so happy. I hope to have more time with Lisa and Andy soon too.

Day 248, Sunday, September 5th, 2021

Early Birthday for Pam

Pam’s birthday is September 15th (technically tomorrow… gah, I’ve never been this far behind on posting my P365 photos!) and we wanted to celebrate it with her while she was here. Mom loves baking and she prepared a delicious chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for Pam. She was so surprised! (We were watching funny animal videos on YouTube… it looks a little weird paused!)

Make a Wish

I love making Pam smile, her day to day reality isn’t easy. Pam has a terminal illness called Chronic Variable Immune Deficiency, CVID. It makes fighting off even a simple cold a fight for life… you can imagine how scary Covid is. She has to inject immunoglobulin for 2 days every 2 weeks and it makes her feel pretty crappy. (If you are able, please consider donating plasma, it could save my sister’s life!) Gregg deals with PTSD from his combat experience in the Gulf War. They both help suicidal veterans find immediate and urgent help when they are at their low points. Surprising her with a birthday cake made her smile and made us feel very grateful to be able celebrate with her.

Cigar Time

The boys went to the gun range and had fun going through some ammo. Dominic was supposed to go with them but he wasn’t feeling well. Later in the visit, Curtis and Gregg went out back to enjoy some cigars that Gregg brought with them. Seth noticed me right away sneaking a photo through the glass but I don’t think the boys noticed. Tee hee! They are so cute. Pam, Gregg, and Seth headed home early Monday (Labor Day)… the house felt very empty after they left.

Day 249, Monday, September 6th, 2021

No photos today. I was too sad because Pam left.

Day 250, Tuesday, September 7th, 2021

Emergence

When I went to let the dogs out Tuesday morning, I saw a cicada that had just emerged from its shell. I’d never seen one freshly molted like this before and I was super excited. Of course, I had to let my camera sit outside for 20 minutes or so to acclimate the lens to the humidity and heat but I was so grateful the cicada hadn’t flew off yet. Isn’t this the coolest? Its face looks like the grill of a car!

New Braunfels nature macro insect photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/7.1 | 1/200 | ISO 2000 | handheld

Day 251, Wednesday, September 8th, 2021

First Cataract Surgery Complete

Mom found out just last year that she was developing cataracts and when she went to her annual eye appointment this year, they said they had progressed enough to need surgery. She was supposed to have the first eye done while Pam and Gregg were here but the surgery center was having technical issues with the equipment so it got rescheduled. It was a quick surgery and they do the conscious sedation type of anesthesia though mom remembers most everything that happened during the procedure. She said it was unpleasant but she could see out of her right eye immediately, even through the mesh patch!

Day 252, Thursday, September 9th, 2021

Post-Surgical Appointment

I drove mom to her post-cataract surgical appointment the following day. She did great, the surgery went perfectly, and her vision tested at 20/40 the day after surgery. The doctor was very pleased. He did sort of dismiss her concerns about remembering the surgery and feeling uncomfortable, that was unfortunate. The left eye will be done 2 weeks after the first. It will be weird to see my mom without glasses! She’s been wearing them my whole life and has always been very near-sighted. She will still glasses for reading up close.

Thanks for looking!

365 in 52 [2021] ~ Week Thirty-Five

September 5, 2021

Day 239, Friday, August 27th, 2021

New (to us) Dining Room Table

We’ve had the same dining room table for 20 years and we often wished for seating for 8 people instead of 6. I had been looking on Facebook Marketplace for a couple of months when this table popped up (in this photo, we have 1 leaf and 2 chairs removed). The woman was selling it because she was moving and was only asking $230 for the table and chairs. It was located in south Austin so Curtis rented a truck from Home Depot and went to pick it up for me. It’s solid pecan with a pedestal base and we are thrilled.

Day 240, Saturday, August 28th, 2021

Mom and Margi

Getting a photo of my mom with Pat last month made me very happy. When mom’s friend, Margi, was visiting last weekend I asked to take their picture too. Margi normally doesn’t like taking pictures, so I was especially honored when she said yes. Thank you, Margi. Thank you for being such a good friend to my mother. I’m going to try to get in more photos with my friends too!

Day 241, Sunday, August 29th, 2021

Andrea and Anna (and Grayson)

Anna’s been missing Andrea, her summer respite caregiver. Even though Andrea is working full-time as a first year teacher in special education, she agreed to meet us for lunch last weekend. (Can you imagine how exhausted she is?) We met at A-Tan for lunch and Anna brought Grayson, one of her reborn dolls. We chatted all about Andrea’s new job and Anna’s first week at Life Bridges. Andrea’s dog had puppies so we got to see new photos of them too. It was a great visit with great behavior, I was really proud of Anna.

Day 242, Monday, August 30th, 2021

Platinum Blonde, Who Dis?

I got a haircut a couple of weeks ago and I told Heather that I wanted to try coloring my hair. I know I know… I’m so wishy washy. One day I’m embracing my gray, the next I’m hiding it. When we were in Key West I was really studying people and behavior… the middle age couples that were overweight and gray were invisible. I’m not ready to be invisible. Since my hair is all silver and gray, I can’t go dark. I told Heather to do whatever she wanted, but I wanted to look modern and fresh. She took me platinum blonde and took about 4 inches off! I’m still getting used to it. Curtis likes it, a few friends really like it, a few prefer it natural. I’m torn. So here it is, here is me… 52 years old now, no makeup, wearing my glasses. Awkward as always!

New Braunfels lifestyle self-portrait photographer — Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/2.8 | 1/200 | ISO 1600 | tripod with remote release

Day 243, Tuesday, August 31st, 2021

Baby’s Out of the Nest

These darn barn swallows keep having more babies! Every time a brood would leave the nest, we would knock it down. They would rebuild the nest in the same place or some place nearby. This is a baby barn swallow that just learned to fly in the last week or so. He’s hanging out on top of one of our pool umbrellas and gives me a look like yep, I’m here to stay. Our red umbrellas have faded in the sun so I changed the color to blue.

New Braunfels nature photographer — Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5.6 | 1/320 | ISO 800 | handheld

Day 244, Wednesday, September 1st, 2021

Color Change

I didn’t know that anoles could change color! This cute little fella started out green and hanging out on mom’s plant. She texted me to give me a heads up and I headed over with my macro. Unfortunately it’s been very hot and humid so the shock of going from cold air conditioning to the humidity made my lens fog over. I had to wait about 10-15 minutes for it to clear. By the time it was ready, the anole moved to the wall and turned a grayish brown color. Pretty cool!

Day 245, Thursday, September 2nd, 2021

Uncle Gregg and Seth with Anna

My sister, Pam, and my brother-in-law, Gregg, came to New Braunfels (staying Wednesday until Monday) to celebrate their anniversary. We were so excited to host them and get to know them both better. Gregg is a Gulf War combat vet and works security now. They’ve been together as long as Curtis and I have been. Gregg and Anna shared a moment outside, sitting on the edge of the fire pit. I still don’t know what they were talking about. I didn’t want to disturb them so I shot through the sliding glass door. Seth is Gregg’s service dog and he is awesome. Even though he couldn’t see me, he could sense I was locked onto his daddy. I’m so happy to be developing relationships with both of my sisters and getting to know their families. My heart is full.

Thanks for looking!