P.J.'s look at the world

Cranking them out now! So I stretched this month’s an extra day because, well, today is Harper’s fifth birthday. I had taken off from work and had plans to go on an adventure with Harper and a friend. And a great day it was. As I write this post, Harper is out cold on the floor and I’m guessing she will sleep well tonight. Me, too, most likely! One thing about this video. Though I don’t do a…

I’m glad I had fun at the beginning of the month as the end has not been pleasant. Time flies when you are having fun, right? So before I continue with this late post, a couple of updates. I put the themes a day or two ago for this one at the video one in the Facebook group. I have the video almost ready — but I need to do the voiceover. Today I finally feel like I could get through it without…

Two months down. Time flies when you are having fun, right? This month was interesting. I’ve done a lot for my own self care and realized I didn’t take a ton of photos, but I did take ones that fit this theme. And yes, I am sure you know what several of these photos include. The winter is still going, though. And it’s been tough. Warmer days seem to be coming. Work has also been a bit…

OK, so this will be a shorter post because, well, it’s supposed to be a video. We are trying a monthly video challenge. It doesn’t have to be crazy and I think for the first few months, we’ll have some simple themes and then see how it goes. This month was potpourri, so basically whatever one wants. Mine was based on winter walking with Harper. I shot all via the phone, and did it in a vertical…

I feel like I say this every year — but holy cow, one month is already down in 2026? It sure is. And I am not sure how it is in your neck of the woods, but we’ve had a winter to remember in January, as well as December. I had personally predicted we were going to get one of our traditional winters and it sure seems like it is. We will see how February goes. I guess I should have made this…

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. But what about one? This month’s challenge had a lot of openness to it. The ability to find a word and have the photos match, or have the photos and make the word match. So many ideas. The top definition of adventure is “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks.” That doesn’t work for me, though, as I am not really a risk…

Life enjoyed. There once was a time when this phrase would make me laugh. Not because of the saying, rather because one of the neighboring cities to me spent upward of $25,000 to re-brand their image and such. And the company came up with Life Enjoyed. It never stuck. Instead of taking what it had always been known as (the City of the Hills) and just giving it an updated look and feel, the…

I’m pretty sure most of you can guess what makes me smile. Being this late with this post doesn’t, that’s for sure. But the end of August and into early September has been a whirlwind with schools starting, car issues, some health insurance BS, starting a class I am adjunct teaching at the local college, and just everything else… I’m happy my head is above water at this point. Alas, better…

I think with last month’s them and July’s theme, you can see the direction I am going with some of these monthly challenges. Let’s be real — you need to have some self care. You have to take care of yourself or everything else around you can be highly affected. And that’s no good for anybody, right? How you do self care, however, is totally different per person. I’ve tried a wide variety of…

I kind of did this theme on a whim — with nothing in mind. And honestly, I did this to force me to think about being present and what it actually means. You hear terms like this thrown around, especially when it comes to mental health. That doesn’t mean we always know what the heck something means. It seems like a truly simple concept, but it really isn’t. There’s a lot more to it. Doing a…

Exploring the world can be open to a lot of interpretation. The funny part is … I didn’t take a super ton of photos this month. And that is something different, but I’ve been doing a lot more attempting to “unplug” at times. For example … At the end of the month, I went to GeoWoodstock, which is a massive geocaching event. I did well, though, in that I didn’t open my laptop (other than to log…

My normal style when I write is to go a traditional route. I write the beginning and then the bulk, and then finish up.  Rinse, repeat.  But this beginning I’ve re-written multiple times. And some of the bulk, too. This post has taken multiple shapes before arriving at the current version.  And it’s a bit lengthy. But that’s OK… as I had a lot to get out. So hopefully you can hang with me…

A lot of my life is spent on sidewalks and roads. It could be driving to work or somewhere else. Or just getting from point A to point B. But, a lot of my time is spent on them with Harper. We walk. A lot. And it’s not just sidewalks. There are some streets in my village where Harper would rather walk the street rather than a sidewalk. And then there’s hiking on back roads/trails. So I mean,…

While the theme for March makes sense and keeps in what I’ve done over time, it doesn’t make it easier. Coming up with things to represent 12 was a head scratcher. On March 14 (give or take) I thought — I should have taken photos on March 12 and did it that way. Too late. Then I thought, well maybe I could find things with 12 on them. Not so exciting to me. Then it hit me what I could do. After…

It’s funny that the month I do a free for all, I don’t have a lot of photos! Well, there’s a bunch, but I wanted to at least change it up a little. The weather for past couple of months has made it a little tougher, which stinks. I’m over this winter. The amount of times I’ve shoveled this winter is at least double of what I’ve done the past two years – combined. Spring is coming. I hope. The…

My goodness. Time really does move fast, doesn’t it? First, let me say that I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. In fact, I think when people do them (most), they end up failing because of the pressure behind them. How many people do you know who are going to go the gym or whatever and then fizzle out? Exactly. Instead, I kind of work on goals and such and I start them whenever I feel it…

For the record, this post is one I started writing a few months ago. I need to update as I go through this and get it current, but a lot of this is still highly valid. And it’s something I had worked on, so I wanted to make sure it was published. When I started this, I was still about a month out from my most recent doctor’s appointment. I knew my blood work wasn’t going to be the best, but I…