so NOT cool :: Everyday Photos by Jodi Anderson

hello, mirror

X and I took a little walk today, after her volunteer work at the library.  I took photos for a possible picture project. 

(This isn't one of them.)

© JODI ANDERSON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

in which comments are closed

Recently, I have received inquiries as to why I no longer accept comments.  

Almost seven years ago, I started out doing what I would consider traditional blogging and that definitely worked for me then.  I had time and energy to interact with others -- replying to comments and answering questions.  That has become increasingly more difficult for a variety of reasons. 

Also, after a while, my blogging evolved into mostly photos and poetry.  It felt weird to stick my everyday ramblings into that mix.  I have struggled with that balance for years ... leaning one way for a bit and then the other way for a while.  Like all of you, I have multiple interests and, like many of you, I want to share more than one side of myself. 

I spent a good portion of this last autumn and winter contemplating what I should do, how my online experience has evolved and should evolve in a way that feels authentic to me.  Ultimately, I decided to express myself in different ways in different places.  (From my main page, www.jodianderson.com, these different ways can be accessed.  This everyday photo blog of sorts is one of them.) 

I like taking part in these different forms of expression and sharing them, but find that I don't necessarily seek feedback.  I do so very much appreciate it. 

I like the quiet.  That said, you are always welcome to email me if you desire.  (The address is available on my 'about me' page.)  I enjoy hearing from you, but feel pressure when I get a lithany of comments.  Or, even just two.  I can't promise that I'll respond in a timely manner; I can't promise that I will respond at all.  I can promise that I will try to reply.  

I hope that is okay with you.  

If you come to my page(s), I'm humbled and glad to have your (mostly) quiet company.   

before you stitch me up

things to fill my abdominal cavity:

cotton fabric, but not cotton balls 

a crocheted afghan

Nerf

balled-up paper

soft, but cooling wax

fungi

novocaine injections

Kin No Neko, my tiny cat

rosemary

things to fill my cranium:

air

mist

ping pong balls

cellulose insulation foam

novocaine injections

lavender

negative 45 and out takes

This week, with windchills reaching -45F, it would be an understatement to say ... I AM IN MY ELEMENT.  And, while in the midst of this, I can't stop thinking about Inuit tribes, caribou skins, building igloos, and ice fishing. 

(In years' past, I have included lots of photos of ice fishing villages.  I haven't been out yet this year.  Maybe this weekend.  *fingers crossed*)

And, that's about all that I have to say.  Keep warm and enjoy your day. 

(Above and below, out takes from GIRL.)

guttural and warm-bellied

I have been deeply contemplative lately, progressively so for several months.  I mean, that is my usual state, but it has been more intense than usual.  The topics are separate yet very connected, just like me, an embrace of contradictions.

I started to list the things that I'm thinking about, but after little progress over the course of two hours, I decided to just scratch that idea.  Some thoughts, and the way they intertwine or overlap, seem impossible to put into words.   

In other news, it is bitterly, dangerously, DELIGHTFULLY, BEAUTIFULLY cold outside.  This makes me so happy.  The photos are from yesterday, when it was warmer (15F), when the clouds held some of the warmth close to the earth.  Today, the skies have opened and are bright blue, and the sun is piercingly bright.  The temperatures are subzero. 

Little makes me as happy as these days and all that they hold: 

the sound of walking on the snow at this temperature, the way that the ice tinks like glass when it breaks, how everything -- skin, cloth, breath -- stiffens when exposed to the outside air, keeping the house chilly but warming up by digging into mundane comforts, warm curled-up kitties, the primal and guttural parts of me that climb out of my head and skin, feeling akin to my Scandinavian ancestors.  

Wishing for that parallel life.  There.  Writing and collecting wood for the cold.   

the year in photos

Before sharing hopes and aspirations for 2009 (tomorrow?), I'd like to take a little look back at 2008 ... picture-like.  I somewhat randomly selected one photo for each month of the year. 

adding up the new year

While I don't actively participate in "New Year's Resolutions", I do believe in an ongoing evaluation of one's life, making goals, and then figuring out how to reach them.  Sometimes, goals aren't involved at all, and it's more about how I want to live my life day-to-day. 

For instance, over the course of this last year, I decided to make some changes regarding photography and blogging.  First and foremost, I recognized that, while frequently requested, selling prints was REALLY stressing me out.  I felt sheepish saying "these are my prints and I want your money for them."  In fact, I have no desire to sell prints.  What I do like to do is share photos of what I see ... and, that is what I do ... I take photos, make no claims about their quality, and sometimes put them on my blog(s). 

I've also asked myself, "why am I blogging and what do I want out of it?"  I blog to keep a sort of interactive personal journal and also to help myself remember my life, individual experiences as well as a timeline of what I do and have done.  I experimented with ads and with BlogHer, but decided that I'd prefer to pay for my own blog and keep a cleaner look.  This is where I am now, although it could change tomorrow or next year. 

So, for the next few days, as 2008 winds up, I will be reflecting on my life ... evaluating what works, what doesn't; thinking about what I want to do that isn't getting done; assessing how I feel mentally and physically; and, mulling over how to enjoy the simplest pleasures in life. 

The result will not be a list of resolutions, but rather an observation of where I am at and what I can do, day-to-day, for a more joyful experience.

highlights and wishes

Hello.  I hope that you are having a pleasant whatever ... holiday, break from work, Winter, or just Saturday.  It is gloriously foggy here, quite dense, and warm (low 40s).  I have no plans today except for a little cooking and kicking back.  Actually, that's all that I have done for the last five days. 

Theother23, originally due home on Sunday, finally arrived on Tuesday morning.  He was fortunate -- some of his employees didn't make it back until two days after that.  They all still have their original return dates.  Thankfully, my husband had already scheduled two weeks off, so his time home won't be cut quite as short as everyone else's. 

Highlights so far?  The dark solstice.  TO23 coming home, of course.  The citrus salmon and parsnip/carrot fries.  My birthday.  (On the 25th, yes.  Jodimas, as X calls it.)  X discovering a few new (to her) Grimm's stories when she received a collector's edition of the complete tales.  Visiting the grandma's.  Doing research for a new camera lens.  Guiding TO23 through Resistance: Fall of Man by reading the walkthrough online.  (Mission completed.)  THIS FOGGY DAY! 

What's coming up yet?  Holiday gathering at my mum's.  Dinner at my favorite restaurant for our 19th anniversary (on Tuesday, the 30th).  Another movie or two?  Fish tacos.  Veganizing the white chili recipe.  New tights.  Unknown good memories.  Wishes for the new year. 

Enjoy your day and weekend.  I'll check in soon.

thanks every day

Every day, without fail ...

I am thankful to be alive. 

I am thankful for my husband and daughter, for family and friends and four-legged loves and the curious snake, a plot of land and a house of my own, piles of magazines, music, my earthen and potted gardens, good food, photographs, education, poetry, choices, technology, mindful simplicity, oxymorons, humor, individualism, security, unschooling, my wild childhood on the prairie and in the woods and by the creek, science, Earth, wonder, the sun, frozen lakes, and Winter.

favorite views: tuesday morning, october 21

Sometimes my favorite view, is no view at all ... keeping the world at bay.