Is It Time to String Beans, Mawmaw?

It is common knowledge in our family that our maternal grandmother was never idle.  I rarely saw her sitting down.  She was queen of multitasking.  I used to love to help her string beans in the cool shade of her front porch in the summer -- she didn't have air conditioning, but trying to get her to sit down was a chore in itself.  Yes, those beans needed stringing, but there were clothes to hang on the line, weeds to pull, bathrooms to clean, dusting, shaking rugs, sweeping ... and the list went on and on.  Lead by example.  It's all I knew as a kid.  There was rarely idle time in her world.  

I think of today's world, how times have changed.  Kids -- even adults -- nowadays find themselves bored more often than not, seeking out TV shows or DVD's to entertain themselves when they feel boredom setting in.  

And not in MY world.  I don't know what boredom feels like either, Mawmaw.  My list of things I either need to do or want to do is never-ending.  I never seem to have ENOUGH time to do all the things I want to accomplish in that flimsy sliver of waking hours.

I've been having fun playing around with my camera lately.  I like to carry it with me in case I'm blessed with a fleeting moment of beauty, whimsy or intrigue.  Some of the photos below were even taken while sitting down for a breather yesterday afternoon on the patio ... never idle ... never a dull moment.  The shadows caught my eye, and away I went ...click, click, click...I don't want to miss a thing.

On my way to work last week

In self-teaching, I'm learning that the usually harsh midday sun can produce a compelling contrast of shadows ... I see the beauty even now.

Playfully out of focus.

A marriage of shadow and light.

Textures and mosaic hues ...

scrumptious sepia

tinted black & white

purposefully overexposed

mystic light

calming grays

Short  as life is,

we make it still shorther by the

careless waste of time.

Victor Hugo