Really. I did!

Isn’t it swell?

My old camera bag was nice. I loved it for a long time. But it’s more than three years old and it’s very well-worn. And the many, many pockets that I adored when I first got it have become increasingly frustrating when I’m trying to find my cell phone or my security pass for work.

Time for something new. Epiphanie!

Bright turquoise isn’t my normal style, but I thought a punch of color would be a good thing. The leather is really soft too.

This little accessory made me smile.

I have to get used to the whole new set-up, but my camera is snug and safe and happy. And that’s the most important thing, yes?

You never know what I might turn my lens on some days. (Although you can be sure the four-legged critters are on that list often.) I bought the wine at a very cool wine shop when I was in the more northerly regions of the city the other day. I’d been wanting to stop by because the place is owned by our former neighbors. (I was very sad when Betsy moved away…she has spunk!) I liked that it’s organic, I liked the price and I really liked the label too. Maggie I always like. So there ya go.

Life has them, doesn’t it?

I’ve been on more of a rollercoaster lately when it comes to my emotions. I prefer feeling a bit more steady about things, but I’ll accept that every day can’t be blue skies and butterflies. The skies are definitely blue today, though. I’m looking forward to a weekend of pumpkins, leaves, soda bread, Legos, bunnies, hiking trails, paint, garden tools, bikes and whatever else might come up during these last 70-degree days.

Yesterday I drove out to Millennium Park, which I’d heard of many times, but never visited. I was looking for some of my colleagues who were supposed to be toiling away on a United Way project. I’d already criss-crossed GR snapping photos of the different groups participating. This was my last stop.

But I found no white T-shirts. Instead, I found this vast, open beautiful space. I was intrigued, so I parked my car and got out. Camera with me, of course. The sun was warm. The breeze was nippy and relentless. It was lovely. I walked aimlessly around the sidewalks and trails that were framed by goldenrod and silvery grasses. I was supposed to be working, but I was in the middle of nowhere with no one around. So who would know, or care, about my short-lived distraction? You won’t tell, I’m sure.

I had to snap some photos of an early morning gathering in a field. Yes, a field. Because this group was gathering to look at trees. Walnut, cherry, oak. You know. The things with the branches and the leaves. These trees, though, are baby trees. On their way to becoming something bigger. There’s an environmental thing going on here, hence the interest in the seemingly ordinary trees. I liked the trees, certainly, but I can never resist Queen Anne’s Lace. Especially when it’s glowing in the morning sun.

If I hadn’t been wearing sandals, which were getting wetter every step I took, I’d have hung out longer. I should spend more mornings out in a field. It’s a rather lovely way to start the day.

If I could extend a specific time of day, I would make spring and summer evenings longer. The time between 5:00 p.m. and bedtime. That’s when the lovely things seem to happen. Tonight it was playing baseball in the road with my husband and kid. With some encouragement and coaching, Devin actually hit quite a few of my pitches. Once he figured out he could make contact with the whiffle ball, he wanted to play all night long. Afterward I took a nice stroll with Juliette before doing a bit of work in the garden. And now, as I’m typing, I can hear the birds that have become squatters in our neglected window boxes twittering to each other.