Puddles

Me to Hubby: I'm going outside to play in the mud.

Him: Oh. Um isn't it too cold?

Me: Sort of, but the puddle is getting smaller in the driveway.

Him: Isn't it mostly mud?

Me: Yes. I am going to play in the mud.

Him: Ok. Well I knew you weren't ever going to grow up.

My driveway has a low spot that needs to be fixed. In the spring it is like a small pond at first. It holds water at every rain and at every snow melt. In the evening the light is just right for some play time.

Yep, I was that kid that played with my cousins and made mud pies. 

I grew up in a time when dirt was okay to play with. We could use it as a compliment to our little plastic soldiers or move it with one of the Tonka trucks we had. We could toss it, wet it, mold it, shape it.

I put my coveralls on. It was cold outside, but I had a plan and a story line running in my head. 

The Misadventures of Frank and His Troopers.

Frank is always trying to find a way out of marching with his troopers....

the horse threw him so he decided to try...well....a

dinosaur?

I see one of his other 

troopers did a face plant in the water.

and then...

it was Frank's turn...

That dinosaur was not a good choice, it wouldn't even behave for me and I was supposed to be in control!

My fingers got full of mud from throwing chunks of dirt into the puddle behind the figures. I also swept up the cold water to splash behind them. 

My hands were numb by the time I finished. 

I abused my camera by getting the strap dirty and some of the buttons on the back dirty.

But.

I also experienced the power of imagination and concentration to 'make' something. And it distracted my brain from dealing with the everyday stresses of being a Caregiver.

So, in my book. Puddles can be great things.

Day Dreamer

I spent my rest up time reading and when I was bored with that, I watched some YouTube stuff. You'd think I'd do something smart like watch how to make delicious meals. Well. I did look up a recipe on how to make beef stew from scratch over the weekend, so does that count?

I watched interesting videos regarding photography. Toy photography and perspective. 

Years ago I created stories with photographs of my dog Morris and his stuffed squeaky toys. I know my husband thought it a bit odd, but once I presented the ideas in a little book form that the grand kids could enjoy, it wasn't so weird after all. 

Years before that I wrote short stories about a mule named Billy Bob who pined after a beautiful sorrel mare who lived on our property. Billy Bob often wrote about the shortcomings of riders and funny things they did and how to properly train a human. Those stories became articles in a small magazine called Mules and More. Billy Bob was a huge hit and at shows I'd have people come up to me and ask if I was Billy Bob's mom. I had a few moments of 'fame'.

Billy Bob passed over the Rainbow Bridge and I couldn't write about him any longer when he wasn't in our pastures.

So I guess I am saying that my mind doesn't generally wander over the subject of cooking. 

I'm that person that can walk by a tree and imagine what story it could tell. 

I was that kid in school who would stare out the window and dream up story in my head. The teacher would notice and my parents would be notified that I was NOT paying attention in school. Those teachers were boring, they droned on and on. My dreams were more interesting.

By 6th grade there was a teacher that actually held my attention and made learning interesting. My grades jumped and my parents must have breathed a sigh of relief. For a while, I stopped daydreaming. After all, Life gets in the Way. 

My father was big on kid imagination. He didn't want us kids to have any toys that had batteries. He'd say let the kids imagination power their toys.

My brother was a genius who would take our little plastic soldiers and make up a war games. I never won against him. I bet to this day I'd still lose in chess to him. Heck, I lose in chess to my young friend Briar.

I've let my imagination come back out to play in full force. Maybe it is a waste of time, but I can say it keeps me from going bat sh-t crazy some days.

So in honor of International Woman Day there is this shot of some of my 'can' do Lego Gals.

Where is this leading to? 

I have no idea.

However I did get to try out some methods for making toys look like they are in the midst of some sort of action. I took two figures from the Predator movies and photographed this:

The concept was simple. I set the two toys in a mud puddle in the driveway and set the camera on a delayed timer [on a mini tripod]. When the camera was shooting, I scooped water with my hand towards and slightly behind the creatures. The water droplets gave off a nice glow and slight sense of motion.

What it looked like when I was shooting it:

I tried this again in the machine shed with some cast off toys. I used dirt instead.

The late afternoon light was so fun with the blast of dirt and hay chaff I threw. I just had to try it from another angle.

...and again. Until I realized that I better wrap things up and get back in the house to get supper on the table.

Half of the fun is getting things set up and imagining just how to present it.
The process is the fun part.

Thinking it through, and the presentation.

Well, soon enough spring will be here and I'll have more exploring to do as the wild flowers, skunk cabbages, and marsh marigolds begin to appear.

And tomorrow?

We have a Winter Storm Warning!

Whew!

At least our furnace is back up and running.

I think I'll spend the storm cleaning, organizing, and thinking up new scenarios for my enjoyment.