January 24, 2011

a little of this, a little of that


Remember when I told you I was participating in a 52 week photo challenge?

I think I lied.

It would seem that I am a bad challenge participant. Very bad.

I am also very bad at balancing my checkbook, but that's a post for another day.

I am, however, a very good flower buyer. I'm pretty sure these gorgeous ranuculus will back me up on that. Please join me in pretending that this week's photography theme is pretty pink flowers.


While we're on the subject of my bad self, last week I came to the undeniable conclusion that I have officially been living in the country for too long.

On Friday, I spent a day in the city. Part of that day took me downtown.

You know. Downtown.

Where the one-way streets are.

We don't have one-way streets in the country. We have one lane streets, but not one way streets.

Apparently there's a distinct difference.

Or so I've been told.


While I was downtown, there also may or may not have been an incident involving the opening of a car door at the precise moment that a bicyclist just happened to be speeding by my newly (and expertly, if I say so myself) parallel parked car.

You might be tempted to think that particular scenario would be a bad thing, but apparently it wasn't that big of a deal because he just kept waving at me as he was riding away. Although in hindsight, I suppose he could have been doing something besides waving. It was kind of hard to tell though, because he was wearing mittens. And then there's the fact that he was also yelling something that I couldn't understand. Or maybe I simply chose not to understand.

Hmmm. I'm probably going to have to rethink the whole waving thing. And quite possibly the whole driving downtown thing.

Dear Bike Cyclist,
I'm sorry.
Country drivers are not used to having to check for bikes before they open their doors.
There are no bike lanes in the country.
I promise that I have learned my bike awareness lesson.
Sincerely,
Teresa

Did I mention that he was wearing mittens?


That pretty much sums up the exciting events of the last week, unless you want to talk about the fact that my hubby and I are currently in the middle of knock down, drag out ping pong tournament. Until my recent slump, we've been pretty evenly matched.

Yes. I said ping pong. Meadowbrook Farm is a happening place, people.


Have a wonderful Monday!

42 comments:

  1. LOL, Whoops! Glad the bike rider was okay! Checkbooks... your supposed to balance those? Something I used to do, then I went back to work and now.. not so much! Love the pink flowers!! Love your sense of humor! Keep writing Teresa. xoxo

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  2. Those darn city dwelling-bike riders! :) I'm glad he was ok. I love your pictures! So colorful for a Monday morning. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Teresa, I just love your blog posts! Not only do you have some amazing eye-candy photos to look at, but also amusing stories to go along with them. You are such an awesome photographer and I know if I were to meet you in person that we'd chat along like old friends. I too had an encounter with a cyclist who rode into my parked car. It was a little more scary as he was injured, but OK. Oh and if we are ever in your neck of the woods, my hubby and I challenge you to a ping pong tournament. We LOVE it! Have a fabulous day!

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  4. Teresa,
    Please invite us all to your farm for photography lessons. I drool over every shot you post here. In exchange, you may come to my humble city dwelling and I will do the city driving.

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  5. Sounds like the trip downtown was exciting! I'm not sure I would want to know for sure if the biker was waving or not. :} I think I would still take the country life any day over city life. And ping pong would be a great way to pass the day with hubby. Nothing boring about the country life to me. Have a great week!
    xxxx

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  6. Hahaha, that's hilarious! And these pictures are beautiful!!! I adore ranuculus.

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  7. Ooooh Thank you, with -24 and wind chills taking the temp much lower... Those photos made me smile. So glad the cyclist is ok. You are right, there are no bike lanes in the country, no side walks either, I've forgotten about that a time or two while pulling out of my in-city living mother-in-laws house...

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  8. Could those colors be any more perfect together?? {swoon} Those darn bicycles... tsk.

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  9. Beautiful pictures!! I linked to your post on my blog. :)

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  10. I agree with mamamotherlode: Please have us to your farm for photography lessons. I desperately need them. I'll bring cheese! :)

    PS: I left some bloggy love for you a few weeks ago, and just realized that I forgot to tell you. But you can read my love letter, er, note about you there. :)

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  11. I love ping pong....

    It's been so (too) long that I've played in a knock down, drag out ping pong tournament.

    This is one funny post. I'm so glad he was wearing mittens, too.

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  12. (drool!)
    Just stopped by from Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. I'm MIA from the blog world, but when I saw the photos from your blog I had to stop by. GORGEUOS! I love your vintage style and collections. I have a few items, but I'm quite jealous of your pieces and displays. Lovely! Keep up the good work!

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  13. Beautiful flower photos! You should sell these as prints girl..

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  14. Oops! This is such a sadly funny post. Can't help but laugh at it, of course, realizing that the biker WAS perfectly alright; he was waving after all.

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  15. Thank goodness for mittens, and I'm sure what he was yelling was something like "hey thanks lady for helping me to slow down and smell the roses today!" If we ever meet in person I'm challenging you to a game of ping pong! Loved the ranunculus...my favorite!

    Kat :) *fellow country girl*

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  16. Gorgeous photos! And I'm glad "nobody got hurt"! (and I blew the 365 project too. Eh! It's January!)

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  17. thanks for the beautiful photos today - one could almost forget it's still winter outside the door. As for the bicycle incident, at least no one was hurt, and you were headed the right way down the one-way street. Some of us haven't been so fortunate. . .

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  18. Your also a very good flower photo taker! Beautiful photos. Makes me think of spring!

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  19. Photos are beautiful! Post is hysterical! Love it.

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  20. Photo challenges are good for the first few assignments ... then it gets to a point where all the fun gets sucked out of photography because you HAVE TO take pictures. (I did a couple of challenge series over the past two years, and I doubt I'll do it again ... never say never, tho.)

    You KNOW I'm going to wear mittens now, especially when I'm in traffic. :) Everyone will think I'm waving.

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  21. I'm just in LOVE with your pretty blog and your mad photography skills. I could sit and stare at them for hours. (but then of course, I'd never get anything done, and my kiddos would revolt.)

    Blessings,
    Sasha

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  22. Gorgeous flowers! Mittens are very good for hiding inappropriate gestures-not speaking from experience of course.

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  23. What adult male wears mittens? Just sayin'!

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  24. Oh the colours are just beautiful, the flowers, the vase, oh I am going to die of love for them!

    I was riding my bike one day when someone opened a car door on me, knocked me clean off my bicycle. He was very apologetic and took my name and number, called me later to see that I was okay.

    These things happen. I certainly did not use any mittens to insult him :)

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  25. Never trust a man wearing mittens...that's what I always say anyway. Gorgeous photos, as always and of one of my most favorite springtime flowers. I plant loads of ranunculous in the spring but they never return the next year...wonder why? but I digress...

    Photo envy and flower covetousness, your blog brings out the worst in me...;)

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  26. Those flowers are perfect for a pick me up on a gray winter day...thanks! Good luck with the ping pong!

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  27. Cute post! I am glad he was okay. I have done that too, and have gotten a not-so-nice selection of words. In my defense, bikers are hard to see, they have to watch out for us and be aware, too! ;-) I love the flowers, really needed to see their lovely pinkness on this gray rainy Northwest day! ;-)
    ~michelle~

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  28. It is NOT FAIR that you have pink ranunculi in late January. A true friend might have said, "I think Shannan might enjoy these" and sent them on their way.

    And I do sort of love that you struck the bemittened rider with your door.

    Mittens??? Were they hand-knitted? Probably.

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  29. pretty much if you have to wear mittens, it is too cold to be on a bike. and so you are justified in not anticipating the lone die-hard cyclist to be in the precise region of your car door at the exact moment you are opening it.

    this is my take, at least.

    ps you do the flower buying so well, i'm pretty sure you can get away with anything.

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  30. Them dern traffic lights on every freakin corner are what mess me up... Who can remember to inch forward, check the light, inch forward, check the light? Just go already! Oops, guess that's why I'm a country girl. Good thing he had mittens. Keeps it so so civilized. and metrosexual. Ranuculus (i?) are my all time faves. More jealousy.

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  31. I am a wanna-be country girl! I will drive down-town, like 1 mile from my house. But to drive to the actual city (Philly) Nooo-way! I'm sure I would feel like you did driving "down-town". And I'm sure my incident would involve more than a bicyclist if I did!

    Your flowers are beautiful!

    P.S. Go kick some butt in ping pong!

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  32. People actually ride bikes in Montana? Isn't like 50 degrees below zero and snowing? I thought only the crazy, oops I mean dedicated west coast types biked in the winter... Of course, we have bike lanes everywhere so only the passenger would be able to hit a biker with a door, except maybe on the one way street...hmmm. And the mittens were probably to cushion any falls cuz he was probably one of our west coast cyclists on vacation and they are crazy drivers, I mean cyclists.

    But seriously, I LOVE your Ranuculus, with all that pale green in the background... it would be right at home in my kitchen!

    ~Chris

    PS My husband and I don't "do" ping pong any more... he seems to think that it's dodge ball with paddles...

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  33. Yes, thank goodness the biker was ok. Better that he "gesture" to you than you accompany him to the ER where facial surgeries etc. are to follow. Please look before you open your door. This can have horrible results.

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  34. I always look forward to the beautiful colors on your blog posts. I am sure he was just waving howdy to you! I used to play ping pong with my dad and was pretty good when I was quite young. Thanks for bringing back a good memory.

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  35. Pink flowers on a winter day...ahhhhhh! thanks for cheering us all up and making us laugh at the bike boy!

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  36. Ping pong huh...that's serious stuff. If you want to really kick competition up a notch, you know, beat him so badly he just gives you the trophy (there is a trophy right, there has to be some kind of trophy involved, something for you to put on YOUR night stand so he sees it very morning and every night and is reminded that you won and he lost) then you need to start playing in your bikini. I promise you will beat him EVERY time. Good luck and practice that power shot (in your bikini of course).

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  37. Hilarious! I can see how the whole one-way-street-plus-cyclist scenario is one big ooops. :) We love ping pong, too. Let us know who wins!

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  38. I saw someone mention above that you should invite us all to the farm for a photography lesson. How about a photography/ping pong retreat? I'm in!

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  39. This post made me smile! You crack me up! I'm sure that wasn't the first time he had been hit by a car door! There are a lot of us country girls out there who wonder into the city unsupervised! :) Beautiful photos by the way!! And I hope you kick butt in the ping pong tournament!

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  40. This post is HYSTERICAL. How on earth did I miss it on MyYahoo feed last Monday? Well, it works to get this Monday off to a chuckling start too. I love your writing Teresa! Happy Monday the 31st! ~Sally

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