Project 365 d-85

     Day eighty five of Project 365 found me scrambling to get a daily image. After sleeping most of the day due to the previous nights ordeal. I was trying to sneak up on whatever bird I could find. The Cardinals were jittery and elusive to my obvious approach as usual. Still, I think this photo is alright and there is no going back anyway. After getting back home so late the night before, we were all so tired and groggy. My youngest was the worst as she had been the one with her face torn up after her fall. She really fought us in the administering of her medicine, which she says tasted like spoiled eggs. I found myself  laughing inside in spite of my concern for her well being.

     Consequently, our house had gotten out of order and there were many things out of place. Part of me wanted to leave it as is, but the other part of me thought it reminded me of the chaos we has all just been through. With the latter part in mind; I set about to put things in their place and it felt good to be doing something constructive. Maybe I hoped that my doing so would somehow help the healing process be put in motion on my tender little ones face. My love for her would not be changed by any amount of scars, but I quietly worried about her fragile self esteem. What could I do to help protect her from any of the the scary thoughts that I'm sure were racing through her mind. Just love her, hold her, speak to her softly, and most of all tell her how beautiful you think she is.  She is beautiful in every way and if it were possible to order a perfect child then she was the model for doing so.

     All of this was bouncing around in my mind as the last item was put into place and the house seemed back in order. With Project 365 in mind; I placed my big lens on my camera body and headed out to salvage what day light there was left. My oldest was walking our dog around and it made it difficult to sneak up on my subject. My stealthy footsteps were nothing compared to the hammer like foot falls and squealing voice of my daughter as she carelessly moved around the open grass. I spied a brilliant red Cardinal perched high atop a pine tree. It stretched up as high as it could on it's green perch to whistle its melodic song upon the wind. Not far off an unseen Cardinal replied with the same sweet song. As I tried to get closer, a neighbor walked too close for its liking and it effortlessly lifted off and moved on the a safer area. Turning around to see what else was in range of my lens; I saw this chubby, orange Robbing watching me without warily. Sneaking around a big pine tree; I found an opening in the branched that concealed me and my lens. I snapped away as it sat there turning its head back and fourth wondering where I had gone. There were many branches I had to deal with in order to get this shot. This was the one that were not obstructions directly in front of it. It was day 85's image and it would have to do.

     Honestly, after all of the drama that we had been through; I really considered stopping Project 365. Who would blame me after all. Here I am though, by the grace of God continuing on for another day. Looking for a magical image that can be married to the words that I write. My hope is to bring both of them to life. This incident has helped me realize that my family has been neglected because of Project 365. The easy thing to do would be to just quit; however, the smart thing seems to be to just pull back a little bit. Going forward, I will not necessarily post everyday, but the photos will continue and I will keep it as up to date as I can. Where does this all lead? I'm not sure. To all that are following along; I appreciate your time and realize that you could be doing many other things than following my life around. Lord willing, he will grant me another day to photograph his world, and the worlds to help tell that day's story.

Happy shooting.