Tag / Going Green

by Janet

Amhráin Ghrá

May the lilt of Irish laughter lighten every load.

Irish Blessing

If Google translate is working today, Amhráin Ghrá means Songs of Love. We need more of those today. If it’s not, if there’s an error in what my title says—and I’ve just said something insulting—please forgive my ignorance. 😉 Just trying to spread some Irish love today.

Anyway, I couldn’t resist adding this to my Going Green series. Nothing says GREEN more than St. Paddy’s Day!

I’ve never mentioned this before, but my laptop is falling apart. I can’t close the lid because something broke and the monitor screen is barely attached—it’s hanging by a thread. The battery no longer charges as well, so if I’m working and the cord somehow disconnects, the PC shuts off instantly and I lose what I’m working on.

Needless to say, I don’t use my laptop to take quizzes or exams for school. If it disconnects during those, it’s pretty much an automatic fail. Fortunately, my sister gave me a hand me down. Older sisters are cool like that! It will work for now, until I’m ready to invest in something new and improved.

Anyway, I bring this up because the borrowed PC is still on Windows 7 and I can’t load my Photoshop on it. Bummer! That being said, another blogger mentioned the free program GIMP. I’ve been trying it out, and this morning I used the Kaleidoscope effect to make the image I’ve featured here. I think it’s pretty fun!

I thought I’d add a gallery here to show the original, the kaleidoscope version, and a square version (that I call lights) that I made in Photoshop last night. It’s a fun and unusual display of Green. I’m not sure if the reader will distort this, but I will give it a shot…

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you found something enjoyable here…

Sláinte! (Cheers!)

Black and White Flowers
by Janet

Rhapsody in Black & White

Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! 

henry david thoreau

I thought I’d do something different for my new series Going Green. A black and white photograph to represent my thoughts on simplicity and contentment. It’s not screaming its significance, but I’m pretty sure it will do the trick.

Why do we fritter our lives away, wasting time on things that don’t really matter? Are we still hellbent on keeping up with the Joneses or—better yet—hoping to surpass them? Are we worried we won’t get our “fair share” if we don’t jump out and grab it like everyone else? Yes, that means bathroom tissue too but it goes much deeper than that.

In thinking about all things green, one negative emotion came to mind and I thought it best to get it out of the way before moving on to greener pastures (no pun intended).

ENVY: painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. Merriam-Webster. The feeling that you wish you had something that someone else has. Cambridge.

The grass is not always greener on the other side, so why fritter away the hours trying to get there. Enjoy the simplicity in your life. Find contentment. Time is short, so love what you’ve got while you’ve got it. I don’t know about anyone else, but while things are slowing down (with school and work shutdowns and stay-at-home advisories), I’m going to use any extra time I find to soak in the quiet, get some spring cleaning done…

…and appreciate what I’ve got: My health. My family’s health. A roof over our head and food to eat. And… as it stands… enough tissue to make it through the night (same as it always is).

Thank you for reading, I hope you’ve found something enjoyable here.

Peace, love, and good health to you all!
—Janet