Here we are at my 660th post. Yay, me. Yay, you, too – my faithful readers. Thank you for sticking around in my little corner of the blogosphere to watch and read.
I’m having fun, yes I am. And since you hopped by too – welcome! You’ve joined the party I’ve got going on – not with just one,
or three,
but four friends who stopped by to play here with me…in my backyard. Someday, there will be more…
Here in my little ol’ world, there are plenty of simply silly adventures that find their way into my thought bucket for me to write about. You never know what seeds of ideas are planted that I’ll come up with to entertain you and myself.
I’ve been busy just humming along, enjoying each moment. I’ve got plenty of rambled and jumbled and quirky words under my belt so far. Multiplying like rabbits for some of my writing days.
I’m busy as a bee – pollinating my blog with colorful thoughts.
I’ve taken so many photos, I’m beyond the limits of even bothering to count them. Despite Mr.’s warning and how he wonders out loud often, “Will she need another server soon?!” He feeds my habits – I love that about him. And he cooks, too.
In the meantime, while Mr.’s busy cooking up delicate treats, my thoughts, and my photos pile up – each one providing me with inspiration to grow and change and expand not just my waistline over time.
Some of my photos are pretty darn nice if I don’t say so myself. It is important to be proud of your efforts as a blogger. I’ve heard that you should also protect your photos from being stolen. From rabbits? Rascals? Sigh…doesn’t a copywriter statement do enough?
I’m too busy playing to worry about such things.
These precious flowers provide me with nourishment for my writer’s soul. They’re intricate to how much fun I experience. I don’t want to have to put “DON’T STEAL ME” signs on them.
For goodness sake – it’s just little ol’ me, putting myself out on a limb, waiting to see what will happen with each post. Will I brighten someone’s day? I hope so.
I hope you or anyone else won’t steal my photos or steal my words. I invite you to admire them from the view on your screen as your mind plays along with what you see.
And I hope you listen to my words and watch the photos – together they orchestrate my thoughts into sweet songs to warm all of our hearts. I hope.
Enjoy each tiny moment I share – after all – there’s nothing more here in this life but fragile moments to steal.
When I started this blog, I never thought it would be so much fun to be a blogger. I dreaded the loneliness in the beginning. I frowned often at my lack of any monumental success. I do still feel that way, some days. But not as often as in the beginning. Heck no.
It all changed for me the day I decided to play and have fun instead of stressing about it so much. I suggest you do the same.
Through the thick and the thin of this thing called blogging, I’m convinced that my delicate soul loves my blog – it is my playground where I have fun.
Post Inspiration – Sunday Stills – Playground and Lens Artists #46 – Delicate
PS – Which photo do you think I should’ve used to represent delicate the best? As we grow older, our playgrounds change – where do you go to play? What do you think, do bloggers need to label their photos or their words to protect them from being stolen?
Hi Shelley, All of your photos are beautiful. I especially like the hummingbird photos, exquisite little birds. Interesting comment on protecting your photos. I have been blogging under a year, and early on I heard this advice from other bloggers. I did watermark a few photos, and then I stopped doing that. I may be naive, although I would think that people who take the time to write and read blogs are not the type of people who would “borrow” photos? A fun and thought-provoking post:) Erica
Hi Erica – thank you for your words of encouragement. I guess there are all kinds of readers out there – those that admire and those who will steal, too. Sad, that it happens, but not going to stop me from having fun. Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts!
Never stress about my blog after all it’s just a couple of photos. I mark my photos on the advise of a seasoned blogger years ago who had photos used without permission. Delicate, the Hummingbirds of course from me but the flowers as you say are darn nice 🙂
Glad to read you don’t stress about it. I just read Hugh’s post on the need to copywrite and mark your blog content. That got me wondering. And then I’ve heard the opposite on it not being necessary. You’ve no doubt found a way to make it easy to watermark, no need to stop! Yes, those hummingbirds are delicate, that’s for sure. I’m a sucker for beautiful flowers, too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
You’re welcome Shelley
WOW what an achievement! Thank you for my morning smile. g
Aw, thanks, g! I’m glad the post made you smile! I always smile when I read your posts!
You pollinate your blog with profound thoughts, stunning images, and a touch of tender love. It is always a pleasure to read and admire.
As for the Mr., Bravo to him for being supportive.
Aw, thank you, Drew – I’m touched by your words of encouragement (so is Mr!). Thank you, you brightened my day!
My pleasure.
🙂
Lovely, Shelley! The hummingbird is my favorite, but I also love the red hearts… I have had stolen pictures – a friendly soul posted me so I would know. I water marked them after that, but then I stopped doing it…if they want them, they can have them anyway. I minimize the size instead, so they cannot be enlarged so much. And then I thought – well, if anyone can enjoy them – why not?
Thank you, Ann Christine! Your photos are all so lovely, too. I noticed that your photos weren’t watermarked. I like your suggestion to minimize them – I think my theme does that automatically?! I appreciate hearing your thoughts – thank you for sharing them.
Good luck with deciding how to go about it!
Thank you!!
The photo stealing is a difficult issue. Do I want to worry about marking each one? And then I wonder why someone would steal – to make $$? Doubtful on my creations. It is good advice though.
Your photos are always fun – all those bunny rabbits!
Delicate…the flakes on the toasted bun of course! 🙂
Yeah, I spend enough time just taking and looking through the pictures, I don’t want to add another step to the process. LOL – if I find someone making $ off of one of mine, I’ll send them an invoice. In my spare time, of course. I knew you’d like the toasted bun – thank you for that vote! Mr. will be tickled to hear!
I somehow believe if someone steals my stuff I would be pretty good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t bother stealing… 😘🙋♀️🐝
Excellent point, Bee!
😊🙋♀️
Shelley, being an amateur photographer, I always respect other people’s artistic work. I could not think about the time it would require to mark each photo. I am too much ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ for that. I have even donated photos to some of the old free sites. It was always fun to see which were popular with others.
Your blog is lovely and I am always inspired by your outlook. Blogging should be enjoyable or else, why blog?
We enjoy our birds so much. They are a great source of joy.
Ooo…that’s a fun idea for photos, I hadn’t considered that. I’m curious to see what people like or don’t too. Thank you for your encouragement of my efforts, I appreciate it! Yes, birds and blogging – so much joy :-)!
Hey – I was just as a blog (Hugh’s) and he had a post where he found engulfed posts copied – and well that topic has been coming up – and for me – I do add a logo to my photos but it is to remember them more and a bit out of habit – the pics I share are low pixel and it is so easy to erase my little logo – and I also have stated folks can use my stuff freely for educational Purposes (contrast that to the pros who have photos and other work that might need to be protected)
—
But I love how you noted that you have fun with your blog – and I agree that with that mindset you will have more joy and intrinsic value in outcomes – that applies to life too- eh? Lighten up – do what we do – don’t compare – don’t get puffed up! – and have an open hand and open heart to share and not be over protective 💛
The photo I like best is the sixth one down – delicate and bursting with new life
Hey – thank you for sharing your thoughts and your process with your photos. That’s very generous of you to offer them for educational purposes. You’re right on target with a joyful approach to life and blogging! No worries about the auto-correct, I’ll keep both of your comments here! Thank you!!
Or maybe fix my original comment – hahah
And I read in the comments that it was Hugh’s post that you also read – and I can see why he was a bit upset – he has the type of information/article blog –
Anyhow – it is a personal matter for sure – and I think sometimes the photo is ruined with the wrong watermark – so if someone Has them – I like it near the border
I fixed original comment ;-). Yeah, I can see why Hugh was upset. It is a personal matter for sure. And I agree – watermarks can ruin the photo for me – the border is my preference as well.
Wishing you a great week Shelley
😉
Thank you, same to you!!
Are those bleeding hearts from this year? They’re so pretty! We don’t see them here. I think it gets way too hot for them. Nice photos of the hummie too!
Yes, this year the plant is FULL of hearts. They are so darn pretty and the hummingbirds have been enjoying them as well. Thank you for your kind words!
These photos are beautiful, Shelley. I really enjoyed looking at the bunnies.
After I had a photo taken, I started marking them, although my watermark wouldn’t be hard to crop out. I use Adobe Lightroom, which exports a reduced quality image and adds the watermark. I don’t worry about it much, the photos are good enough to be used for much, but the watermark will make the person realize that they are being a creep.
Thank you, Dan – if you’d like, share the rabbit photos with Maddie – she’s welcome to chase them anytime. These rabbits are almost bigger than Copper and his hips are aging, so he has yet to catch any of them.
Thanks for the tips on Adobe Lightroom – I just use the standard Microsoft 10 editor (archaic, but easy to use). LOL – creeps happen I guess, way to make them think twice. Plus since you share your photos with Teagan, on her site, it’s a good idea to watermark them.
Adobe has a pretty good deal for photographers. You get Photoshop and Lightroom in a package deal for a somewhat reasonable price.
Thank you for sharing – I need to look into that!!
Yay you! Congrats! Such fine words and images to celebrate. Probably wouldn’t hurt to put a watermark on your photos–they’re really excellent–to “discourage” any theft. I’m so glad you’re continuing to have fun blogging. I always love stopping by!
I like the ones with the orange and hummingbird, myself. Maybe the contrast between the rough and the hummingbird is why.
Thank you, John, I appreciate your feedback!
Beautiful pics, Shelley. I haven’t put out our hummingbird feeders yet this year. I need to but seem to run out of energy early in the day. Today was moving all the clothes out of our RV into the house. We both need to really cull our wardrobes, both because we have lost weight and both because we have too many things we never wear. LOL!
Keep up taking/sharing the great photos!
DB McNicol
author, traveler, shutterbug
Author Blog
Personal Blog
Thank you, Donna. We put ours out the day we saw the first hummingbird flutter past the window. You’re ahead of me on weeding out clothes – that’s been on my mind all winter, and now I don’t feel like doing it! I’m with you – I have so many things I no longer wear. And I don’t have an RV to downsize for, so…well…it’s easy to just ignore and shut the door on the clothes. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts, much appreciated!
One more reply…I enjoyed your post about your return and all of the adventures you’ve had at doctor’s appointments, and yard care, etc. I wanted to leave a comment, but the only account I have for blog spot comments is my Google+ account, and that’s supposed to be going away. So…how do WordPress Bloggers comment on Blogspot blogs?!?
I love the hummingbird photo. I didn’t know I could just nail a half orange for them to enjoy. I just bought a hummingbird feeder, plus food. I’m just worried about the bears. they love that sweet stuff too! UGH!
If you are worried about people stealing your photos, why don’t you put your name on them and copywrite them? Easy to do. Sometimes it’s included in your photo software. or for free off the internet.
If you ever have a suspicion that one of your photos has been stolen, you can just drop and paste it into this Google app:
https://images.google.com/
If someone stole your image, you’ll catch them ASAP!!
Thank you, Cindi, glad you enjoyed the hummingbird photos. Yes, oranges are popular with the orioles and the finches – AND the bears. Our oranges are on the other side of our fence from where the bears may wander through, so far so good. The hummingbird feeders are popular with bears too. My dad has bear were he lives and the destroy the hummingbird feeders on a regular basis.
Thank you for the tips on photos and the link to double check use. Good to know – you know so much, and share tips and tricks, I love that about you! xx
OMG, I could go on and on about the stress of blogging, Shelley! At the beginning, I read books, blogs etc on the subject and finally realized that half my fun was taking endless pics (like you) and participating in the weekly photo challenge. My blog changed several times (even the title) to what it is now…no one really blogs about leisure, yet everyone does blog about leisure (we rarely blog about work, so therefore we must blog about our leisure time…sorry Professor Terri doing her thang). So, now it is fun and after a year of hosting Sunday Stills, it is the best experience! Yes, your photos are stunning and you should invest in a cloud account to keep them. I use premium Dropbox and also recently Google Photos. LOVE your delicate perched hummingbird shots next to the orange! Watermark that and post on instagram!!
LOL – I love hearing that even the experienced bloggers, like you, have moments of stress about blogging. And I appreciate the confirmation that having fun at it is the best part of blogging. I love your Sunday Stills – I appreciate that you give a list in advance too. Thank you for the compliments on my photos. I just figured out how to upload photos from my PC to my Instagram account. Next, on the list, watermarking. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts and tips, I really appreciate it!!
OH, you got pictures of your hummer. I am so jealous. I have seen them flitting – got to go buy oranges. Love you pictures and your blog is fun. have a great week.
Yes, the little hummers sit quite frequently on the nail while they wait to fight with others over the feeders. Thank you for sharing your thoughts – hope you have a great week too! Happy orange shopping!
I didn’t know hummers liked oranges too? Maybe he just likes that perch. He is delicate, yes, but I think even more delicate is that last photo of the bleeding hearts … they are beautiful. I never thought to put a copyright mark on my photos, but I don’t think anyone is going to steal mine to be honest. Someone did steal a story though … they took the entire blogpost and put it into an online periodical about Fall. It was a post I called “Fall Aflutter” – they probably liked the title. They didn’t ask, but they didn’t do anything with it – but they used their own picture. I let it go. They might have seen the post in the “Patch” where I also blog as a community blogger but using their format – not on a blogroll.
You’re right – the hummingbird just likes the nail perch. I have seen them poke at the oranges, but mostly they sit on the nail waiting to attack anyone else trying to drink from the feeder. They are quite territorial when they claim their feeding spot. Luckily the bleeding heart and the flowering crab trees have been providing plenty of feeding locations so no big battles going on yet.
That’s awful that someone stole your entire post. Jeez. Nice of you to just let it go. I’m impressed that you also write for the Patch too! WOW!!
I just found out recently about how territorial hummingbirds are and was surprised. You’ve got the perfect spot for bird watching. Yes, I don’t know why they stole that post except they liked the title.
The hummingbird is my favourite as well! 🙂
Thank you for the vote – she is a cute little bird, hard not to fall in love with her!
Beautiful photos, Shelley! I hope you will put watermarks on them just to be sure. 😉
Thank you, Winnie! I see you’ve figured out how to do it, and you should – your photos are beautiful!! So are your words!
Beautiful pics, Shelley! Congratulations! 🙂
Thank you!! 🙂
Your photos are pretty as usual. I blog for the fun of it and under the notion that I might brighten or enlighten someone’s day in the process. Still in the end, we all write blogs in our own ways for our own reasons. If you get too caught up in the deeper meaning of blogging, you’re not going to have fun.
Thank you, Ally. I appreciate hearing your insights!
Hi, Shelley, hope you had a lovely weekend.🌻🐰🌼 Lyndsey.💚
Hi, Lyndsey – thank you, I did, and I hope you did as well!
My pleasure and I spent the weekend with family, which I love. I’m going to bed now, it’s nearly ten to eleven at night in the UK, I’m not really tired, but I need to get up early for college. I really struggle with sleep.🙄
Wonderful that you got to spend time with your family. I hope you slept well. I have the same problem with sleep – and early morning committments. Hope you were able to get up on time and that your week goes well!
I was up early this morning but a little tired, I guess I’m gonna have to work on the sleep thing. Nice to know I’m not the only one who struggles with this and I’m gonna see if you’ve posted anything in a second (Love your posts) while eating a scrummy chocolate flapjack (I’m addicted to these things) 🙂
Sleep struggles are real – it’s important to figure out what works, but, um…after all these years, I haven’t found the ‘cure’! Glad you enjoy my posts, thank you! Enjoy that scrummy chocolate flapjack – sounds delightful!
Thank you! ❤
Gorgeous photos Shelly and both a fun and thought provoking post at the sane time. I used to watermark all my photos, especially in my early blogging days and when I was participating in the WPC but I don’t do it now. Perhaps I should be more concerned, especially as I’m a freelance writer, but honestly I try not to stress about stuff like that these days. Happy blogging to you. 😊
Thank you, Miriam, I appreciate hearing your perspective, especially as a freelance writer. I’m not stressing about it, either – plenty of other things in life to focus my energies on! Happy Blogging to you, too! Thank you for stopping by to read my post!
You’re very welcome. 😊
Your photos are gorgeous, and I’d hope no one would steal them. I have no idea how to do that watermark thing, but then all my photos are amateurish at best. I just have fun with the challenges.
I enjoy your blog, and it shines through that you are having fun putting it all together. 🙂
Aw, thank you, I appreciate you sharing your encouragement. I enjoy watching how much fun you have with the challenges – your blog is a joy to visit, thank you for all you do to make this blogging stuff fun!
Your joy in being a blogger is evident in your posts. It’s why we love to read your blog! 🙂 I actually never thought about anyone stealing my photos. I inherited my mom’s (poor) photography skills. My photos are mediocre at best – no one would want to steal them!
Aw, thank you, I appreciate your kind words of encouragement. Don’t shoot yourself so quickly, I think you have a knack for finding the perfect shot to use for your posts. You tie everything so well together. I’m of the belief that a copywrite notice on the blog will be sufficient if I in the long shot anyone stole something and I found out about it. I’d rather not worry, and just have fun. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, much appreciated! Happy Blogging to you!
Winnie, I love it – your poem is so beautiful! I’m so grateful you found a picture you could use and that you wrote such heartfelt words to go with it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! xx