Macro Therapy

Admit it. Your life is moving faster than you thought possible. I’ve had my iPhone almost 2 years, and I am an addict. That device has become my business and personal lifeline with not only phone but email, calendar, contacts, personal Facebook, business Facebook, business credit card machine (Square), full web browsing, website and blog management, Twitter, Pinterest, and Words with Friends (yes, it is important too). It’s wonderful! And it’s horrible. I’m available 24/7 and everyone knows it. What’s my point? STRESS! We all have it. So, what are you going to do about it? If you don’t have a hobby that doesn’t involve your iPhone, then get one. Put it down and do something else. I am an artist who has dabbled in a lot of different mediums.  My current obsession and stress reliever is macro photography. You should try it. Most point and shoot cameras have a macro setting, and if you own a DSLR, try renting or borrowing a macro lens to see what you think. I acquired my macro lens from Heather Manor of Girl Hearts Camera. This purchase was pure impulse as I was browsing Craig’s List, and it is my best impulse buy to date. Macro photography forces you to be still and quiet and breathe deeply. Most literature about macro photography will tell you to always use a tripod to keep the camera as still as possible. You could go for a hipod if needed. This is true! However, I like to go outside and stalk bugs and birds and other nature right in my back yard. Sometimes, nature is very close to the ground, and a tripod is more trouble than it’s worth. Really, I’m just lazy about getting the tripod out, and I don’t mind lying on the ground…or using my knees as a substitute. I have found that pushing the shutter button as I’m exhaling will also help with hand shaking. I watched the Olympic archers and Katniss on the Hunger Games movie exhale before releasing an arrow, so it must be sound logic. Being still and quiet, breathing deep, focusing on releasing your breath smoothly…gee, that sounds like stress therapy! I have always used art as a stress reliever, but I have discovered that Here is my macro therapy from this morning. The hummingbirds were very active, and I was determined to get some photos. You can see how suspicious he is of me sitting so close to the feeder. He never took his eye away from me, and he came up to check on me between sips.

My husband took this picture of me with his phone while I was being still and quiet trying to capture the hummingbirds on camera. He said I looked like a statue. I don’t think the birds were fooled.

One of my favorite macro subjects, the honey bee. My parents are bee keepers, and I have a soft spot for this insect that is purely focused on the job at hand.

Another pollinator that I love, the bumble bee. They are generally compliant subjects unless they think you are just in the way. I have had them buzz my face just to get me away from a flower they wanted for themselves.

Gardenia blossom

Dandelion

Morning fog on the spider’s web

Hydrangea

Japanese Beetle eating my roses

Dewdrops on strawberry leaves

snowflakes

 

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The County Fair

The Fair is here! Can you smell the excitement and the fried food? In Wilson County, TN, we have one of the largest county fairs around. It is a perfect combination of carnival, craft show and fair. You can compete in hundreds of categories with your fellow county residents for the coveted blue ribbons. There are  animal and livestock shows, talent shows, beauty pageants, hypnotists, magicians, and nightly special performances at several different stages. Many different artisans also come to show and sell their hand crafted items. There is more to see than time to see it, and I do attend the fair more than the average person. Here are a few tips from a seasoned fair goer like myself to make the fair more enjoyable.

1. Bring hand sanitizer. Seriously. Have you heard of the swine flu? You don’t want that.

2. Allow the kids and yourself to indulge in a few fair food treats (it’s only a fried Oreo), but bring your own water bottle to cut cost and sugar intake. Use the sanitizer first.

3. Buy the carnival “ride all rides” armband/hand stamp instead of buying tickets. This is much more economical and vastly simpler. Our fair offers these armband/hand stamps at a discount on opening night and before noon on Saturdays.

4. Go to the side shows, and support the artists and contestants in the talent shows, beauty pageants, etc. I love to find the winners later as they are carrying their trophies/crowns and congratulate them. The smiles you get in return are phenomenal.

5. Check out the animals, livestock and other competitions. See who/what won that blue ribbon. I am a much better judge of a prize winning chicken because of the fair. These are life skills, people.

6. Ride the ferris wheel and take a picture at the top. It’s beautiful up there.

7. Go through the vendors tents and see who can get the most pens and post-it pads.

8. I have found the best deals on food is usually at food vending run by charitable organizations such as the Rotary Club or Lion’s Club, and their burgers and sandwiches are usually better. This saves money for more fried candy. Use the sanitizer before you eat!

9. Watch the artisans such as the broom maker or blanket weaver, and let them show your kids how things can be made with your hands. Hands were not made for texting alone…although, there is a texting competition too.

10. Let yourself be a kid again! Have fun! Just think, this is WAY cheaper than Disney, and it’s so much closer. Don’t forget the hand sanitizer.

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