March - A Look Ahead

It’s finally March! And onward we go into the year. Winter weather isn’t completely behind us (snow flurries predicted within the next 24 hours), but there are signs of spring. I thought we would have our first daffodil bloom today. But it is taking its sweet time and might open tomorrow. I can’t wait to cut some and fill a few vases around the cottage!

My tears have dried and I’m mentally moving forward about the setback with my vision. It's time to put on the big girl panties and simply deal with it. I will adapt to the murky mess of what I now “see.” (As if I really have a choice, LOL.) I’ve have floaters before, but it has been taken to a whole new level now. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes. We’ve decided to postpone any final decision about the upcoming Moab trip until after I visit the eye doctor again in about 2 weeks. So perhaps we’ll be traveling this month, perhaps not. Time will tell.

My elderly mother’s situation is rapidly coming to a turning point. Preparations are underway for her to go on Medicaid and move into a long-term care facility. Please pray that it all works out for the best for her and my family. She continues to improve, but she is simply too frail to return home.

February seemed to pass as quickly as January to me, thanks to all of the video training that I have completed. I will wrap up a monthly subscription with lynda.com (see advertising link on my sidebar) by the end of this week. I have an annual subscription to Kelby One, so I’ll continue with video studies with them as time permits. I have learned more photography and post-processing techniques and also learned quite a bit about iPhone operation too. The immersion in all of the coursework also made me take stock in how much I already know. Now, if I can just translate all of that knowledge into tangible results! 

I still haven’t learned how to use Adobe’s Lightroom program or practiced using my new Wacom tablet (for Photoshop work instead of a standard computer mouse). Yes, I admit that I can procrastinate to venture down new pathways because of fear of failure. As fearless as I am about throwing myself into many technical aspects of photography, there are still some areas that make me hesitate. 

We’ve got a few doctor appointments lined up this month. There will be follow-ups for Mr. Jim, along with a mammogram and eye exam for me. I had a colonoscopy last week and got a good report. So I won’t have to face that again for another 10 years, thank goodness.

The latest photo challenge is rapidly approaching. This time we have a pretty easy theme (Words and Letters) that should spark some creativity. It’s hard to believe that this will be the 13th challenge. There has been steady participation since the onset, and I continue to get positive feedback for the various information links and the opportunity to learn. But I don’t forget for one minute that it is successful because the participants make it so!

I have slowed down lately in post-processing of my travel images. But rest assured, my blog will feature some interesting photos this month, and you will enjoy some armchair touring. If we go on our planned Utah journey later on this month, you can expect my posting frequency to be greatly reduced. Of course, you still expect to see a specially featured “photo of the week” on each Wednesday, regardless of my travel status.

May you see signs of spring this month and enjoy the magic of witnessing nature being roused from its winter slumber!