HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Happy New Year to our loyal readers and those of you that have found our blog for the first time.

The loyal readers will notice a couple more ads from Zazzel as well as from Google. It's been a hard decision, but one necessary if this blog is to continue. The cost has reached the tipping point of either find additional income or shut down an essay in pictures from a freelance photographer. For the last five years, the cost has fallen totally on this photographer with out complaint. But, as mentioned earlier, additional income to cover the cost of operations is now, not an option, but a critical choice.

Cameras must be cleaned professionally, lens and camera bodies need to be upgraded as technology improves. The cost of operating a car has always been just a fact of life. Now, gas and maintenance has become a major expense, even riding the trains as much as possible. The cost of this web site annually and the cloud storage for the images is also rising.

As I have had fun with a little competition between Hotdog, my cat, and me during the holiday period when I would joke and say, " Now go buy something, Hotdog needs the sales", I can now honestly say, "Now go buy something. We both needs the sales!"

Other options will continue to be explored. And, this blog will continue to provide you, our readers, with copy and images. There sometimes my be more copy than images. It will be a  day-to-day adjustment.

Regardless, we cherish our readers and those that drop by accidentally. These are the methods of transportation we have considered during the past year, don't you see?

NASA's lease payment is far to expensive.

This guy was most gracious to let us photograph him at the St. Pat's Parade last year on Greenville Avenue. Little did I know he was the real thing. He doesn't provide commercial transportation, however.

This guy only works at one speed and would cost to much to charter for the day.

This one is retired permanently, now.

Don't Mess with New Year's Day!

Old Bench, hay bales and pumpkins!

A cute scarecrow in the middle of Pumpkin sales.

Yesterday, I noticed four or five large-scale landscape projects putting up Christmas lights and  it's not even Halloween. The stores are getting geared already for the holiday season as we all know. I tend to favor the traditional more than all the hype. The day after Thanksgiving is early enough for Christmas.  The sales would still be the same and everyone would not be as tired as they are when it's over. The rush to get the sales dollar for the next holiday before we've had the first one can only be described as Greed. You can't cut it any other way. If it's not Greed, then stay within the boundaries of each holiday. "Oh! I can't do that," you say.......well, my friend, then it really is Greed. Yeah, I know, some of  you like the rush of the seasons. It could explain why I have put up two Christmas trees in the past 10 years.

Going to the garden center, getting a small bundle of bow branches (for the scent), a couple of scented candles, an ornament here and there and voila! Christmas spirit. The old adage: less is more. It really has a lot more meaning than one might think. It's less habit, more mental and the spirit seems to be more genuine. That's what I like most of all.....the feeling of it being genuine.

I just had a thought. The advertising calendar is 3 to 6 months ahead of our regular calander. The thought is that I should celebrate on that schedule. Any one know where I can get Easter stuff this time of year?  Once, I knew a renown Anthropoligist that left his Christmas Tree up so that his son who was in his wife's uterus at the time would see the lights of the tree and the decorations when he was born seven months after the last Christmas.

Maybe we really need to re-think this whole thing. One wall could be Halloween, one Thanksgiving, one Christmas  and one Easter. The flag pole in the yard would do the Memorial Day, Veterans Day activities, Labor Day and Columbus Day and President's Day  could be landscapes outside with the flag pole. Cupid could be in the flower beds shooting his arrow toward the roof line near the chimney where a red  heart and ribbon would be hung.

That leaves the rest of the year time to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, National Pizza Day, National Spaghetti Day, National Chocolate Day, National Secretary's Day, Where is New Year's Day, you ask, It's right where it should be. The first day of the year when I can  sit on my rear, drink beer and watch college football! And don't even think about tampering with this day in any form. It's just fine like it is already.

This reminds me of Breckenridge, Colorado up in the mountain mining camps. The green is evenly mixed with the gold of the Aspen trees and all one hears is the sound of wind and running stream waters.