A Photo a Week Challenge: Funny Signs


I used to laugh at memes of ill-translated signs on Pinterest. It was something to boost my moods though I never thought I’d encounter such signs until I took a trip to China in 2017.

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #178: You Choose


This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #178, Tina is allowing us to choose our own topic. Since 2021 is drawing to a close, I think this will be a good opportunity to share a few of my favorite shots from 2021, shots I’m proud of and happy with how it came out. I hope you enjoy.

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#WeekendCoffeeShare: General Update on Life, Work, and Mounting Anxiety


Hello, come on in from the cold. Please sit and join me for a virtual coffee.

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CFFC: Mostly in Two Colors


Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #177: Celebration


This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #177 is all about Celebration.

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#WeekendCoffeeShare: 2 Surgeries in December


Hello, come on in from the cold. Please sit and join me for a virtual coffee.

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Sunrise


Sunrise at the office
Another sunrise, another day

A Photo a Week Challenge

CMMC: December Close up


Wild Yarrow

Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge

CFFC: All in One Color


Strictly Yellow mums
So green
Cabbage

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

#SundayStills – Getting Cozy


I am a simple person with simple desires and when it comes to getting cozy especially during winter, my go-to is minimalistic at its best – just a cup of rich and delightful hot cocoa and somewhere that’s warm.

Like how this cat is curled up comfortably on the couch by the fireplace that was behind me, that spot feels like somewhere I would park for the afternoon.

View from the lodge

Here is my favorite way to staying warm and cozy during winter – head to a ski resort, ride the tram to the top, if there’s a restaurant or lodge, head inside, order a steamy cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream and preferably marshmallow, and finally find a seat with the view. Now, that, in my vocabulary, is a simple person’s luxury.

Sunday Stills

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #176: One Photo/One Story


This week, on Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #176, host Ann-Christine has chosen the minimalistic theme of One photo/One Story.

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#WeekendCoffeeShare: Thanksgiving 2021 plus Garden and Life Update


Hello, come on in from the cold. Please sit and join me for a virtual coffee and sweets.

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CMMC: November Alphabet: Must have 2 S


Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge

CFFC: Mostly Reflections


Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

#SundayStills – Monthly Color Challenge: Ruby Wine


In the midst of getting the yard project completed, I completely missed autumn this year. I had zero pictures of the colors and the leaves but then again, autumn 2021 has been weird – warm and rainy.

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #175: Follow your bliss


According to Google, to be blissful is to be extremely happy and full of joy and that is the aim for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #175, guest hosted by Lindy Le Coq.

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#WeekendCoffeeShare: Fun-filled Friday Afternoon


Hello and welcome. Come on in from the cold. It’s chilly in my neck of the woods today, the high will only go up to 46-degree-Fahrenheit (around 8-degree-celsius). Would you like something hot to drink? I’m afraid the options are rather limited. I’m trying to limit my caffeine intake on weekends so I’m going with a nice extra-hot cup of chamomile tea.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I was thoroughly de-stressed and had fun yesterday. You see, every few months, my department would host a fun event – in May, we went golfing, we watched a baseball game in September, we were supposed to have the event in December but Thanksgiving and Christmas forced the event to get pushed up.

First, we bowled. It was my first-time ever to bowl, which surprised my coworkers. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to a bowling alley before, long ago, but I wasn’t allowed to bowl at the time. It was a social event for my mom and her former high school classmates and I was just there, being seen but not heard.

It was the first time and wouldn’t be the last time I watched mom have fun with her friends while I somehow faded in with the background. Well, I guess I finally got to have some real fun. I sucked at bowling though, probably half of my turns ended up gutter balls.

After bowling came axe throwing and I must admit, I wasn’t great at that either. I kept missing the target, hitting the wooden bar below instead but after several tries, my aim improved. Axe throwing was my favorite part as I got to relieve a lot of pent up stress and anger which had been bottled up for who knows how many years. I found the more I focused on my anger, the better my aim was.

After axe throwing, my co-workers and I entered the world of arcade gaming. Again, my co-workers were surprised I have never played at the arcade before. “Actually, I have been to the arcade,” I told them. I just wasn’t allowed to play. Same as bowling and other fun activities, I was always that person in the background, observing, watching other people have fun.

I remember my uncle and cousin used to go to the arcade all the time. They would play these shooting games and I would be watching them, mesmerized in the game and imagine myself playing the game.

I finally got to give it a try yesterday. It was definitely harder than it looked. I couldn’t even get through the first round.

Oh, and did I mention I sucked at skeeball, too?

Maybe I just at arcade games or any type of games in general because I never got to experience those things when I was a child and now that I’m an adult, I feel like I missed out on a lot of childhood things. I know mom would be rolling her eyes because she seemed to be under the impression I had the perfect childhood, that all the emotional trauma her family has cast upon me were figments of my imagination and that I should be grateful that her sister was willing to take me in.

She wasn’t there, how would she know?

The last activity of the day was bumper cars. This brought back wonderful memories of my stepdad and I maneuvering a bumper car at Knott’s Berry Farm long ago. Instead of maneuvering a crowd yesterday, I was maneuvering the bumper car between Mr. CFO and two of my co-workers. It was incredibly fun as we crashed into each other on purpose. I can’t remember when I last laughed so much.

Perhaps, I need to do this more often.

Thank you for joining me for this weekend’s #weekendcoffeeshare. I hope we’ll both return next week.

CMMC: November Pick a Topic


Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge

CFFC: Paper (Mostly Food Wrappers)


I work for a company that provides training for emergency telecommunicators aka dispatchers as well as develops the software for emergency communications.

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#SundayStills – #Leaves


These are some photos of leaves taken in the past.

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #174: Shapes and Design


This week, on Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #174, Patti invites everyone to share some shapes and interesting designs.

From my experience, to make a bridge takes many shapes – triangles, trapezoids, squares to name a few. These shapes typically make up the basic design of any bridge. I hope you enjoy my gallery of bridges.

#WeekendCoffeeShare: Last of 2021 Gardening and Weird Numbers Nightmares


Hello and welcome. Come on in and let’s talk but first, we must have drinks. I’m in the mood for a mug of hot chocolate, how about you?

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CMMC: November Color Blue


Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge