A Year Old Today

Today, our pup, Ransom, turns one year old!

From the time I was a kid, I have loved taking photographs. I remember clear through early adulthood, hating to have any PEOPLE in the my photographs. To me, the most beautiful photos were those with no evidence of people, just landscapes, nature... close-ups of wildlife...

I didn't want any people cluttering up my photographs. Then, I became a mother at the age of 34 and my entire perspective changed. Suddenly, pictures of gorgeous landscapes were somehow lacking, empty. All that called out to me were pictures of my child and the people around us. Now, taking a photograph of the interesting lines in a stranger's old, weathered face is every bit as appealing to me as a pristine landscape. I love photographing people now...especially my own children.

And, in this past year, I have grown to truly enjoy photographing Ransom, as well. It delights me to capture the many expressions in her eyes, on her face.

Happy Birthday, my pup...we'll be home from Colorado in another day or two! (A neighbor girl is caring for all our dogs while we are away.)


Okay, I just have to add here that Grant is having a fit of derisive laughter over this post. He just now saw it and, as I was reading it aloud to him, his eyeballs nearly rolled out of his head at the very thought of dedicating a post to our DOG. He has made more than a few sarcastic remarks to me in the minutes since then! He thinks it is totally embarrassingly ridiculous that I ghost-write a complete separate blog from "Ransom's" point of view...and now, horrors of horrors, the dog has spilled over onto the CHILDREN'S blog, here, as well! I think the final paragraph, "Happy Birthday, my pup" was the one that about did him in. The poor guy didn't seem to know whether to wretch or hide his head in shame! Instead, he just shook his head and remarked in annoyance, "That dog looks the SAME in every picture." I disagree! I think she looks like she is happy in some pictures and sad in others and bewildered in still others...capturing various emotions on a DOG'S face takes far more skill than capturing those same emotions in a photograph of a PERSON'S face! In the photo above, I think her eyes look so kind and warm and gentle and a bit wistful. In the photo below (added after Grant's derision, just to make my point!!!) I think she looks joyful, almost smiling! Completely different looks!



Grant can just shrink in shame all he likes! I figure, too bad! He KNEW how I felt about my dogs (all of them), LONG before he decided we should join our lives together!

We compromise now...the dogs sleep in the backyard instead of in the bed with me...and I anthropomorphise them in a blog! ...and wish them "Happy Birthday"...at least those of them whom I KNOW what date they were born upon (ie Ransom)! And I enjoy taking photographs of them! ...and taking them for long walks each day! ...and training them! ...and sneaking them, one at a time, into the house when he's away at the office or off jamming with the guys somewhere!