July 22, 2009 Getting a late start today. Woke up with a migraine - hate those things. A cold front came through yesterday/last night and any change in weather always triggers a headache. Hopefully the Imitrex will kick in soon.

This is a rose of sharon. It rained before the front went through and everything was covered in wonderful little water drops. I don't have a nice macro lens so I had to do some serious cropping on this photo. Then of course I lost a lot of detail so I started playing around with it in Topaz and Photoshop - this is the end result. It is "OK" nothing I am jumping up and down about.

Thanks so much for all the kind comments yesterday. It WAS hard losing my parents when I was so young - had for anyone who has to deal with that and I know I am not alone. My heart doesn't cause me any problems and hasn't since I was very young. It is always kind of back there lingering in my thoughts as I get older. I am really blessed with fairly good health - sure there are a few things that anyone and a lot of people have to deal with - but I am doing my best to resolve those issues. Yesterdays photo is in a way - my way - of pushing myself to continue and remind myself where I have come from - how far I have come and also a reminder that I am not quite where I want to be yet. I do have to say though - it feels pretty darn good to be 43 and be able to do something you weren't allowed to do as a child. Everytime I would get slightly out of breath my Mom would make me stop playing, running... being a kid. I understand why. She was scared and that is what the doctors told her. They just didn't know then as much as they know now - that the running and playing was only going to strengthen my heart and lungs. So here I am at 43 doing what I was never allowed to do when it would have been MUCH easier for me. It is just kind of a personal "feel good" thing.