The feeling is mutual

Curious youngsters in separate worlds:

HBW

bokeh (boke-uh)

A Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image

At first glance, bokeh seems like a clever way to avoid distracting attention from a photo's subject, but it's as important to the overall appearance of a picture much like the "empty spaces" in a flower garden enhance the plants it surrounds. I recently discovered that there's even a flickr group dedicated to Happy Bokeh Wednesday.

Exercise with Maggie

This series of 15-second videos demonstrate Lori's version of the world's strongest redneck:

Curls for toned biceps

Flip ... because it's fun

Small successes

I don't blame you if you find it foolish of me to brag about this, but this morning marks the first day my bed has been made since breaking my hand three weeks ago. (And yes, of course the linens have been washed, it just hasn't been made up.) Like opening the Sprite bottle, changing my granddaughter's diaper, and carefully shifting gears with my right hand, it's another reminder that I'm gaining mobility and that things will eventually return to normal.

Realizing that this injury is simple compared to so many others that my orthopedic surgeon treats, I've repeated this phrase a gazillion times since breaking my hand:

I complained because I had no shoes,
until I met a man who had no feet.

Those covers didn't stay perfectly in place for long. As soon as Maggie and I were able to get Lori to go run errands, she and I played on the neatly made bed til it was all messed up again.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

See the 15-second video on YouTube

Good as new

This afternoon's doctor visit revealed that my hand is healing nicely. I came home wearing a cast that will provide better mobility that the clumsy splint I've worn for the past month.

Okay, it's been only two weeks, but it seems more like a month.

Stick to yer ribs

Hey Grandmaw, what's for supper? A big pile of meatballs, served over wide egg noodles. They sat so heavy on the belly that no one dared go back for seconds.

Maggie woofed one down in record time:

Spreading their wings

As I walked past the kitchen picture window this afternoon, I caught sight of a hummingbird looking in at me, the season's first.

I'd already prepared for her arrival last month by filling the feeder and hanging it on the back porch, same spot as last year. Several minutes later, I was relieved to see that she'd discovered it in spite of its sun-faded salmon color.

And within the hour I heard the familiar buzz of the summer's first housefly.

Photo: The Daily Green

Orthopedia.com

This afternoon's visit with the bone doctor:

X-ray on left: Slight fracture ... simple cast ... fast recovery. X-ray on right: Spoke too soon ... reposition metacarpal ... attach pins ... surgery early next week.

Prior to Tuesday evening's ER visit, I went ahead and asked my husband to cut off the ring that my parents gave me almost thirty years ago. Even without the swelling from my injury, it couldn't have been removed without wire cutters.

I expect to visit a jeweler and have it fixed up good-as-new after my hand is all better.