What really happens

After my previous post, I felt a little lightheartedness was in order, along with minimal copy and I am sure Ms K would concur.

We found this while being on FaceBook and thought if you had not seen this before, it might just bring a smile across your face.

What felines really do

Ms K “Guess they’re right” - photographed using an iPhone

PS: Anyone else having the problem with a blogger ‘Anonymous’ who has been spamming? It seems they have discovered all my sites and have for almost one week spamming each blog daily. I just wish Google were able to shut them down. Reluctantly I have turned on ‘Word Verification’ for now in the hope to put a stop to it.

(^..^)

♥

Darkness within the storm

During my absence much has occurred and though it was a difficult decision, I felt compelled to share this with you, so that you might understand that being away has been due to circumstances over which I have had little control.

The second half of last year proved challenging. I found myself going over some digital photographs taken back in 2005, photographs that allowed me to go public and tell my story of abuse and that I am a survivor of child abuse. 

The notebooks

I had chosen to rework these images and post them to The Artist Within Us website, but this time in color, since the first showing in 2005 was as a set of duo-tones. What I did not realize, was that I would relive these memories and go through emotional turmoil and general withdrawal for several months. The result of that period produced notebooks full of words, expressing a gambit of emotions and feelings.

What made this even different from 2005, was that now I focused on writing down these memories and feeling, while—for the first time—being more objective, looking at the events from those of my abuser, also of my father, his job and affairs and how children were raised in Germany back in the nineteen-thirties. The shift in the approached my abuse, allowed for a different perspective and also a better understanding, while not excusing the abuser.

With memories striped bare, stolen innocence still cannot forget

I even began drafting a website Family Secrets Revisited for the purpose of posting from the notebooks and more images in the near future. When I, with fortitude shall return to the notebooks, including the many other photographs take in 2005 and which were never part of any previous exhibition, bringing it all to a conclusion in the form of a book.

———

Once November rolled about I briefly went into high gear, as I love to entertain for Thanksgiving. I was able to mask from family and friends even now what had been going on the previous ten weeks and when the month came to a close, I began to take a downward spiral, however it had nothing to do with the holidays.

I have been suffering from deep depression on and off since my emergency open-heart surgery in 2006, with depression in the first year of recovery being especially sever. However this time, the depths of depression were the worst with feeling of suicide and the medical treatment received this January for the depression, unfortunately made things worst.

After a little over a week I decided to remove myself off from treatment and as January came to a close, I began my slow recovery back to reality. Though things are steadily improving, I remain cautious. What has helped is that for more that a month I have been preoccupied with the neighborhood council, developing a web presence for our neighborhood.

Ms K being awakened from sleep - photographed using an iPhone

As the weather improves, I find myself going more outside, thinking about photography, especially since my son, Armont gave me an iPhone 4S for Christmas and just last week I started to explore the camera’s potential in creating iPhoneography images. What has also helped these last few weeks is that I have re-connected with a few photographers back in Germany who now had a new website, Foto-Live and invited me to join and share my work with a European audience.

Yet I am aware this increase in activity is only a diversion and does not address the issue of depression. I know there is no quick fix to my situation and I can only take one step at a time, while moving forward.

Finally, back in late January, I began making plans to retrace some of my previous steps that were taken back in 1956 when my parents immigrated to the US. We first settled in New York for a few months, then in a deep-burgundy colored Chevrolet to Los Angeles, part of the trip was on Route 66.

Though things will certainly have dramatically changed on Route 66 since 1957, I still have vague memories of New Mexico and Arizona, memories which have left an impact upon me all these years. Now I simply wish to go back and look at the relics before time and the elements take them completely.

Sadly due to the sudden and radical increase in fuel prices, I have reluctantly decided to table the trip. So I am settling for spending time exploring more closely the neighborhood and dismantling the last thirty years of boxes stored in my garage—unburdening my belongings and saving only that which has purpose or meaning. 

Ms K sleeping deeply - photographed using an iPhone

I cannot foretell the future, nor make promises. All I can do is take each day one step at a time and try to keep myself busy with projects. Hopefully there will be also the inspiration and urge to create art and paint again.

So for now I thank you for having stuck by me and my faithful companion Ms K, who has helped me through these months of struggle. I know it will not be easy to reply to such a post as this, for one may not know what to say.

PS: I apologize for the earlier upload of this post. It was in error, since not all images were in place.

(^..^)

♥

Wonderful News

With the holidays behind us, work began by removing the trees ornaments, packing the lights and then cutting the tree, adding the pieces into the green recycle container. There is still more work ahead, at least a full days worth and in the meantime Ms K is was relaxing the couch, watching with eyes half open, the progress that was being made.

Earlier in the morning, before I rose from bed to tackle the day, I was working on the laptop, answering emails, as Ms K relished her extended hours in bed along side of me. 

Keeping warm next to dad in bed

The year 2011 ended on a high note for Ms K and me, having received a wonderful award and a few days later, a package in the mail from Vermont addressed to Ms Kitty.

Our ‘Liebster blog’ award, was bestowed upon us by Mumsy and Furkids. The word Liebster is German and translates to dearest.

Mumsy is a delightful dog and of course Furkids are three  beautiful felines. There is Popsy, Patches and Snookums, who iIam sure have played a game of torment with Mumsy now and then.

Our award

Mumsy and Furkids humans also have another blog, Mumsy’s ramblings and on their last post are pictures of many beautiful red cardinals visiting their garden. I confess, I wish we had this species in our area, but alas, this is not to be so.

Ms K’s package contents

Just before Christmas we received an email from PetNaturals® of Vermont, informing us of their products and asking if we would try one of their products and blog about it. In return we would receive a years supply of Calming Soft-chews for Cats. A product I felt would benefit us not only for Ms K on New Years day but especially Oliver, who as you know is with my daughter at UCSC and you shall meet once I visit them in a couple of weeks.

PetNaturals® of Vermont

In general we have not been endorsing any products or services, but this time we were actually looking for something to soothe Ms K and Oliver, when Oliver comes for a visit, since both were very stressed the last time he came for a visit. Therefore, when we received the request from PetNaturals®, it was very timely, so we decided to give it a try and over the next several weeks we will let you know how things are going. In the meantime, please do have a look at PetNaturals® website and see their many products, which available for both cats and dogs. You can also reach them toll free at: 1.888.340.1995 or check their store finder by typing in your zip code.

For now we wish you all the very best in 2012 and we look forward to another wonderful year, sharing stories and experiences between felines and their humans.

(^..^)

♥

Holiday Greetings

             Greetings dear Visitor

I would like to share a little something from our family to yours.

Dad and I wanted this to be posted a few days ago but then decided to wait until big sister came home from UCSC as she was going to bring Olive, AKA: Ole.  Oliver is a male cat, not a year old, who was adopted, more like rescued this last summer and was introduced briefly to Ms K over the Thanksgiving holiday week last month. Unfortunately, Ms K took offense, even though Oliver wanted to play, MS K would not budge. Anyway, the reason for not posting earlier was that late last night the big sister, Ariana decided to leave Oliver with one of her six (male) roommates at UCSC and therefore dad was unable to take a picture of Oliver and introduce him on Ms K’s blog to you all. 

We still remain hopeful that at some point when we introduce Oliver to Ms K, they will get along, especially since Ole came from a home where a woman was ‘hoarding’ cats and so is used to company. In the meantime Ole’s health has improved and he no longer has flies, having had more than 37 at the time dad had a chance to take care of him.

With that said, the following is our e-Christmas card, for which I refused to pose, by always walking toward the camera. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I am amidst all the wrapping paper that once covered the gifts.

At the end of our holiday greeting are a couple of the holiday cards that we received from fellow bloggers that we wanted to share with you.

___

With my brother’s assistance,

our perfect christmas tree, a superior noble was found and finally decorated.

Now boxes were opened and from it is removed a wooden horse,

a big Santa, the Snowman family and other items

to bring the house into the holiday spirit.

We would like to wish you a wonderful holiday season

and the very best in the coming year

Peace be with you

Ms K and the van Dyck family

___

Animal Shelter Volunteer

Wildcat Woods

___

No it is time to get plenty of sleep because tomorrow morning

it is going to be exhausting as I already know

dad has brought me many gifts.

Maybe I’ll dream about a little snow . . .

. . . no, I like it warm

(^..^)

♥

Creating an animation or slideshow

Listen up, I am here to show you how to do an animation, 

which can also be used to create a slideshow

Our last post we had two animations and were asked by a fellow reader how it was done. Though it is rather simple, it does take a little planning, especially if one decides to add text. Overall the process requires a little forethought as to what one wishes to achieve.

Now I use Photoshop, which has an animation feature. Adobe’s Elements 10, available for Macintosh and Windows, has a feature for turning pictures into movies, which is not the same as creating a regular animation. I did search Adobe’s Element 10 website for an answer if they have an animation feature, but was unable to discover any mention of it.

I mentioned that you can also create a slideshow of your images and not just an animation, between the two there is little difference, so what I am sharing with you today, applies to both.

In order to achieve a good sequence of multiple images it is important to have the camera on a tripod and the subject matter moving slowly so that you are able to capture a good number of images that are equally spaced out, so not to appear choppy. Now if you are working with only two or three images already available, just make sure that they work in the sequence your planning to put together.

Copy all your images into a folder and I suggest adding a prefix of #01, #02 etc., to each image so you know which one to import first into Photoshop. As you begin to open an image decide what size the animation is going to be, then resize the image and save it for ‘Web and other Devises’. This way you will optimize each image and reduce file size. Do this to all the images you are planning to use.

Concerning the final size of the animation/slideshow, I recommend no larger that 400 pixels and no smaller than 150 pixels for best results within Blogger. I should also point out that once it is uploaded to Blogger, it has to be  at ‘Original Size’ or it will not run, but let’s get back to importing the images to Photoshop.

Now that they are all resized, create a new file based on their final size and begin importing them with the first image first and so forth. You will notice that you have created a set of layers, one upon another. Now safe it.

Building upon the first image and layer

All images are imported and in their own layer

Make sure all layers are deselected except for the first image

Select and obtain the animation window from the menu bar

Import the first image. Note you are in frame mode, which is preferred 

After having imported all your images it is time to select

the exposure of each image

Select the desired exposure rate

With all still selected set to ‘forever’ otherwise the animation will only run once

Now save for the internet

Make sure to check GIF to it will not work

Time to check how it looks and if it needs any adjustments -

remember it needs to be 'Original Size'

If you are doing a slide show, the only thing you will do is adjust the length each frame is exposed in order to allow one to view the image before proceeding to the next one. Should your slide show contain vertical and horizontal images there are two other steps that needs to be accomplished before importing all your images.

When one combines vertical and horizontal, your end format will be a square and the background will be white unless you decide to go transparent. For a sample of a combination of vertical and horizontal images in a square  layout please visit my Art of Aids post.

Now it is time for an afternoon snooze before dinner

(^..^)

♥

Finally my turn

Today was simple beautiful. Dad was cleaning the house and washing the tiles, when I decided to go out on the balcony. After seeing it was all clear and that there was more sun puddles to be had on the deck I ventured there. Dad kept an eye on my so I felt safe but I could not help be on special alert. After a gust of wind, causing leaves to be picked from the branches, tumbling down to the awaiting pile covering much of the backyard, it was especially those that had already fallen and were now stirred that caused me to be on alert. 

Dad has access to a new camera, a small pocket digital that has been laying around his son’s room and was not being used, so now I get my picture taken a little more.

I have to focus on our fence line making sure there is no one trespassing.

Now back on the balcony the surveillance continues

because one has to keep an eye for intruders.

I even have to look over dad’s shoulder.

Sometimes it gets so busy all I do is turn my head

from one side to the other —

It can make you dizzy.

Time for a break and soak up some weaning autumn sunlight.

Now before you leave us, let me share with you

my next post. It is about dad and what he

has been up to these last months.

Here is a preview.

(^..^)

♥