314/365 Work in progress

I love art that incorporates language. As a writer, that really doesn't surprise me, but I've just become conscious of it in the past year or so.

Mom is working on a new quilt for me, and with that in mind, she chose some cream-colored fabric that has words printed on it.

She began cutting out pieces last weekend, and she's been getting a little done each night this week.

Cutting with a rotary cutter has always made me nervous, even though her rulers are thick enough to create a decent barrier between the blade and my fingers. She's a pro, though, as comes with practice, and I always enjoy watching.

Now I can't wait to see the quilt come together.

Camera: Canon 40D with external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 250.

313/365 Now THAT'S what I call snow

I'm finally satisfied. On Tuesday night, we had a real snow storm, leaving us with a total of about a foot of snow.

Now that we've had a true snow storm, spring can hurry up and get here. (I doubt it will, but a girl can hope.)

Schools all around central Indiana closed for the day on Wednesday. Even with my fantastic four-wheel drive, I couldn't get out of the driveway until a neighboring farmer graciously plowed it. So that meant a snow day from work!

It also meant several mandatory trips outside with my camera, and four photos to share with you.

We were all curious to see how the horses would react to their first steps out of the barn. Destiny was the first to take a big roll in the snow, and Shep soon followed her lead.

Buster doesn't mind the snow, though when it gets deeper than a couple of inches, he can't move very easily in it. Yesterday's snow downright swallowed him. So Dad brought the snowblower into the backyard and cleared paths from the deck to each of Buster's favorite trees. Then we had a happy dog!

The sun came out in the afternoon, creating a perfect end to a beautiful day.



Camera: Canon 40D, 1/250s and 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 100, at about 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

312/365 Serious bags of coffee

Chase brought home some cool coffee sacks from his summer in Colorado, and they've been stacked in the garage ever since.

They're burlap sacks that hold 150 pounds of coffee. Now that's a lot of coffee!

I'm not a fan of anything coffee-flavored. If I treat myself to Starbucks and order a hot chocolate that ends up mocha, I can't drink it. I also pick out coffee and cappuccino jelly beans before digging in.

I like the smell, but I've never enjoyed the taste. I guess in the long run it's a good thing that I have a natural aversion to one of America's greatest addictions.

Camera: Canon 40D with external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 400.

311/365 Mouth-watering dessert

The best ice cream in the entire world is Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip. It's simply heaven in a bowl.

In my opinion, anyways.

What exactly makes it so good? To start, it's real ice cream made from 2% milk. Second, it's so good that Breyer's doesn't have to distract you with green food coloring. And when it melts, it smooths into a foamy cream, not watery liquid.

Man, that makes my mouth water just to think about it.

Mom and I started a tradition that involved Breyer's MCC ice cream when I was in junior high. Each time my dad and brother would leave town, usually in the summer time, we would choose a room in the house, repaint it, and treat ourselves to a bowl of this delicious dessert on the porch. Then we'd wait to see how long it took for Dad and Chase to notice that something was different in the house.

After a while, they started asking on their calls home, "So, what room are you working on this time?"

All the rooms have been painted now, so we just get a quart of ice cream every once in a while as a treat. Last night was the first time in many months. Heaven!

Camera: Canon 40D with external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 400.

310/365 Great insulation

To look out and see fresh snow lying on the backs of the horses tells me that their winter coats are truly effective.

It's amazing that the snow lies in its powdery form and doesn't melt. This photo is exactly the reason why in many instances, nature must be left to nature.

Think about a barn. Most aren't heated, though some people go to the extra expense to do so. You might think that it would be a luxury for a horse to live in a heated barn, but it's actually the opposite.

If a horse stays in a heated barn, it eliminates its natural ability to adapt to season changes. Meaning its coat doesn't thicken for the winter.

So our horses may live in a cold barn, but their coats are thick enough for them to withstand the day outside. And that's a beautiful sight.

Camera: Canon 40D at 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 at about 11:15 a.m.

309/365 Bop to the Top

My award for best stair-climbing outfit goes to this adorable little girl, who couldn't have been older than five. She had her pink sneakers laced up, her blond hair tied back, her race number pinned to her shirt... and her pink tutu secured around her waist!

Why didn't I think of that?

Since I'm writing this post-climb, you can tell that I survived my second Bop to the Top. More than 1300 people climbed to the top of the OneAmerica tower on Saturday morning between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

I climbed slower than I did last year (not intentionally). I wanted to improve on last year's time, but this year was more difficult since I haven't been running for exercise. I'm in as good, if not better, shape than I was one year ago, but I've been training my heart at an aerobic rate. Since I got a heart rate monitor, I've been careful to keep out of an anaerobic zone, which I didn't realize was a negative thing before this race.

Next year I know to train harder!

Nevertheless, I'm pleased with the accomplishment -- and the fact that I easily survived.

It seemed that the EMTs were busier this year than last. I saw at least two people being monitored, one of whom had to be hooked up to oxygen while an EMT listened to his heart.

805 steps to the 37th floor. That would be a workout for anyone.

Luckily we got to take the elevator back to the bottom!

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000.

308/365 Preparing for the ascent

For the second year in a row, I signed up with two friends for Bop to the Top.

What does that entail? Climbing the stairs to the top of the OneAmerica tower in downtown Indianapolis.

805 steps. 37 floors. 505 feet.

Friday night I collected my running shoes, knee brace, throat lozenges, and heart rate monitor for the vertical trek. After that, my MO was positive thinking.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/2.8 at ISO 400.

307/365 Sunset over melting snow

Thursday and Friday (through the afternoon) were two of the most beautiful days we've had in recent memory.

The temperature surpassed 40 degrees, and with the brilliant sunshine, I was able to run around on Friday afternoon without a coat.

Heaven!

We only have about two months until the return of spring, and boy oh boy am I ready.

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 at about 5:45 p.m.

306/365 The beginning of a sock

I'm totally impressed by the fact that Mom taught herself to knit a couple years ago.

(It's great for me, too, because she's always looking for new things to make -- and I often benefit!)

She's made dozens of felted slippers, some purses, a few scarves, several hats... and now part of a sock.

Not to worry, it will be a full sock, with a mate, at the end, but it's just part of a sock for now. We've heard from various knitters that once you start wearing hand-knit socks, you'll never wear store-bought pairs again.

We'll see! Until then, it's fun to see her progress on this venture.

Camera: Canon 40D with external E-TTL flash, 1/60s, f/5.6 at ISO 250.

305/365 Heading home

I can honestly (and excitedly) say that I'm noticing longer daylight hours in the month since the winter solstice (though you can't tell from this photo).

I'm craving sunlight and warm weather right now. January is always a rough month, and February isn't much better.

Two of the most tiring aspects of winter for me are 1. wearing a coat every day and 2. scraping my windshield.

Bundling up gets old because it's hard to move, making it uncomfortable to drive, and if you're running errands, you start roasting when you get into the store.

Is it spring yet?

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 at about 8:45 p.m.

304/365 Changing of the guard

On the eve of an historic inauguration, Barack Obama's face is on the cover of TIME magazine for at least the third time (that I can recall) in the last three or four months.

One of my favorite blogs, The Big Picture, has a post this week showing photos of inauguration preparations. And judging by photo #23, TIME isn't the only magazine featuring this face on its cover.

I'll be listening to coverage leading up to the event on the radio in my office, and then at lunch time, everyone will be watching the inauguration in the conference room at work.

The last time I remember seeing a TV on at work was in March of 2007 during March Madness.

What does that say?

Camera: Canon 40D with external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 100.

303/365 Footprints in the snow

Our little bit of snow has been melting in the glorious sunshine this weekend, but there's still enough for Buster to leave footprints.

I love seeing his narrow trails winding from one tree to another in the fresh snow. He follows the same paths day after day, so the vast majority of the snow remains untouched.

We know that people are creatures of habit, but all the dogs I've known have sure ranked among the routine as well.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/250s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 at about 4:30 p.m.

302/365 Gaze into the Magic 8-Ball

My Magic 8-Ball seems to be losing its magic blue fluid. That's a bummer, but it was admittedly interesting to see the true shape of the magic answer die inside.

According to Wikipedia, the Magic 8-Ball was invented over 60 years ago, in 1946. It never ceases to amaze me when I look up the history of toys that I've known for years and years, only to find that they've been around for generations.

What toys being invented now will have such lasting impact?

I know you're curious about the question I asked the Ball to get this negative answer. Unfortunately, it was "Will spring come early this year?"

I guess we'll have to wait until February to see what the groundhog says and hope the Magic 8-Ball is wrong.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 400. Blue cast created with extreme white balance shift in-camera, 2500K.

301/365 Bundled up

Each night before dinner, Dad takes Buster for a big walk outside.

On Thursday night, when the actual temperature was around ten degrees below zero, Buster got outside and his feet stuck to the ground, much like sticking your tongue to a pole.

Dad picked him up and brought him back inside, and he and Mom devised a way to protect Buster's feet: they rubber-banded scraps of fleece fabric onto his feet like booties.

We use the same method to protect the kitchen floor from the metal feet of our card-table chairs.

I can't look at this photo without laughing out loud.

The best news? It worked! Buster adapted within seconds and was able to run around outside like usual.

Now Mom knows that one of her next sewing projects needs to be boots for Buster.

Camera: Canon 40D with external E-TTL flash, 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 640.

300/365 Jack Frost

With a low overnight of three degrees below zero, Jack Frost visited my office window today. And today happens to be the 300th day of SightSalad!

Per my now-established tradition, here are my favorite posts from the past 100 days:

209: Please don't litter

215: Classic cars and rain clouds

254: First real snow

261: Toys from Christmases past

269: Curling ribbon

279: Waking up from a cozy nap

287: First in line for dinner

In the final 65 days of this project, we'll have Valentine's Day and the beginning of Spring!

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 at about 3:30 p.m.