Somewhere, somehow, my daughter, who used to be an adventurous eater, has decided that eating her dinner is something she'd rather not do. I know all parents go through this, and keeping calm is tough. Almost every night it seems there's a small power struggle to get her to eat. We don't yell, we don't negotiate, or make separate meals. She just has to eat a certain portion before she's excused. Sometimes she's there a while after we've actually finished the meal. Even food she likes can be a cause for tears, like her ravioli tonight... I hope this passes soon.
"But I don't like it!!" (She does like it sometimes!)
I took this shot by sitting a Canon 580ex II, mounted on a FlexTT5™ Transceiver, on the end of the table. It was aimed at the ceiling, with the bounce card extended. I set it down on one of my many passes by the table, dealing with my truculent diner. I used the plastic flash stand that came with the 580ex II to stand it up. As I was explaining for the millionth time she had to SOME of her ravioli, I aimed my camera from my midsection. About 7 years ago I did an experiment for that year where I never used the viewfinder to aim my camera. It took some getting used to, and I'm a bit rusty, but it's something I'm glad I did. The flash was triggered by a MiniTT1® Transmitter. I've not used these radio triggers since updating the firmware, and reprogramming them. I think I'll play around with them a little more.
It was a busy, yet fun, day. We're expecting a severe cold snap in the next few days. With that in mind I spent today basically getting some things done. Firewood moved in, meals prepared, and I event did the grocery shopping. I hardly ever do it on the weekends, preferring to shop on Mondays when the stores are quiet. Also, it was a NFL playoffs day! By the start of the first game I had everything done, dinner simmering in the oven, and the wife & kid were at a birthday party. By half time I was very relaxed, and decided to go for a walk.
The loop trail in Stewart Park, near our home.
We really need to start spending more time in the park that's so close to our home.
After months of being quietly lobbied for a new pet, Teri & I decided to allow it. Both of us grew up with pets, and my last cat was with me for 21 years. He died right before the move to Wisconsin at the end of 2011. Dog or cat, the debate went round & round. In the end, see some cute, orange tabbies up for adoption settled it.
We made plans to go pick out a kitten, but only told Freja we were going to visit someone. It was a surprise. As we entered the shelter, she became excited to see so many animals to play with. That is nothing unusual, she LOVES animals! We then showed her the kittens nursing, and she thought that was great.
Then we told her, "Guess what? You get to KEEP one of these kittens!" I was able to just snap a photo of her face as she was told this news.
Freja reacts to being told she's getting a kitten.
It's still too young to separate from it's mother yet. So we've about two weeks to go before she comes home with us. Freja talked about it the whole way home. The best was when she said, "I'm just so bored without my kitty!" While the shelter had already named it, we told Freja she could change it. At first she was scaring me with wanting to call it "Fuzzy Balls." I kept picturing me, out in the yard, yelling "Fuzzy Balls! Fuzzy Balls! It's time to come in!!" Thankfully, just as we arrived home, she settled on Mérida. WEW!!
We spent most of the day not doing much. Teri wasn't feeling all that great for most of it. She spent a lot of time working on her job, from home, which was nice. I did my usual Friday chores, and the kid did whatever she wanted basically. After dinner we all felt like doing something, so headed to Fisher King Winery. It's right at the end of our street, which we count as an amenity! We don't go as often as we'd like, but tonight they had Celtic folk musicians playing. Freja was excited to dance to songs we play around the house! She kept asking them to get out the bagpipes, but it was mainly Irish tunes.
Freja whirls in her 13th Century "Princess Dress."
It was a typical day at home. I did chores, the kid played, the kid go in trouble, and then the kid played some more. She'd decided she was "on vacation" so dressed in light summer clothes. I let her create a "beach," where she put out a blanket, and her stuffed animal friends, in the den. After a few hours though, I thought it was time to put winter clothing on. She didn't want to... I was able to get a shot of her from my abdomen as I explained to her she'd be in a time out until she was ready to stop throwing fits.
Once she changed, she then set up a "TV" made from a cardboard box. After about 30 minutes of "rehearsing" she then called me into the den. I had to pretend to "turn on" her "TV." She'd prepared a detailed news report about a Tigers' family home that'd burned. All the animals were rescued, and only the daddy tiger had a slight scratch! It was a very detailed story, and she even signed off with a, "This is Freja Elizabeth Lutz reporting."
Teri texted me early in the morning, commenting on the beautiful sunrise. I stepped out onto the porch that is just off our bedroom. I spotted some sleeping crows in our walnut tree. I've been feeding them every morning. They get the crust from Freja's toast, and any other tidbits I happen to have. Now I see they sleep in the walnut. I guess I won't be cutting it down, as planned.
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