On My Way to Finish Ironing

Okay - so who irons anymore? Usually not me, but when you leave stuff in the dryer too long, the results are wrinkles, lots of wrinkles. (If only, I could iron out my own.)

I started this morning by throwing in a load of laundry and thought, It's quiet; I'll have time to do some quick ironing and I won't have to look at the blouses hanging there any more - just taunting me. I filled the iron, plugged it in, and actually got one blouse ironed. By then Scott was up with plans for the day, including a trip to see a doc, and then a date with our Grandniece, Dorie, (she is grand!) to visit the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle.

So, I hopped in the van, still in my housecoat and slippers, to turn it around in the driveway and save him some time. (The ramp needs to extend into the driveway in order for the electric scooter to shuttle up and inside.) As I was backing up the driveway, a young friend, who had been dropped off at my neighbor's house walked past me. I was startled and I'm sure he was too. Without my usual morning shower, my hair resembles a fright wig - not to mention me without makeup! Long hair you can pull back; short hair just does the sticky-uppy thing. He smiled and hurried down the driveway. I'm surprised he wasn't running.

Okay, so after loading oxygen tanks galore, Scott was off on his adventure. Great! I'll have the whole day to get my to do list ta done. I made the mistake of sitting down at the computer to check email. But it was a good thing I did and also a good thing that my iron shuts itself off when not in use for a few minutes. My author friend, Janelle Hooper, needed a smaller resolution version of her picture for a Hispanic on-line newspaper out of LA. I re-sized and sent it off to her as an attachment, only to have them come back about twenty minutes later, letting me know it still had to be smaller. A couple phone calls with Janelle and we got it done, but of course we had to catch up in the process and talk about writing.

In the meantime, while I was in the kitchen, I decided to call and bundle our Verizon phones in with our Quest (soon to be CenturyLink - how many times have we heard this!) and Direct TV bill. Would save us $5 a month and I'm all for saving. Got that done and while on the line, another call came in. I returned the call to find out a prospective client wants family reunion pictures taken on the 20th of August. Can do! I asked how she found me and she responded, "On the web and I liked your name." I laughed and told her my mother did too.

Came downstairs to send her information via email and ended up answering/sending other email as well; getting a birthday present ready for a friend, filing papers so I can find my desk, making a DVD for Gwen Gyldenege of our photo shoot the other day; preparing an invoice for another client; and shooing the cat away from sitting in front of my monitor, so I can actually see my typing.

And - here I sit catching up on my blog at 1:30 pm - in my bathrobe, hair still a fright, but somewhere in all the travel up and down the stairs, I did finish the ironing. BonnieKingPhotography.com

Janelle Meraz Hooper

I'm reading Bears in the Hibiscus, which is just one of five (soon to be six) great reads from author Janelle Meraz Hooper. She gave me an autographed copy of this light, humorous romance last Saturday.

I met Janelle through Mary Beth, a mutual friend, who let me know that Janelle needed a new photo for her upcoming book, Boogie, Boots, and Cherry Pie. How could I pass up an assignment like this! Janelle was truly engaging and personable on the phone, and even more so in person.

Last Thursday, I packed up my equipment and drove to her home, only a hop, skip, and a jump from where I live in Puyallup. Janelle had worried about the condition of her home, since her main passion is writing, not housekeeping. Good grief! If my home was as orderly as hers, it wouldn't mean that I have a husband who collects things, a dog who brings things in, and a yellow cat who sheds all the time. And I'm in the business of turning our upstairs into a romper room for infant grandsons. I loved the openness of her home which mirrors Janelle's personality. After the photo shoot, we spent probably another hour just chatting, eating cheese and crackers, and drinking - cranberry juice. (I did have to drive home).

We took photos on her back deck with the backdrop of a grand old cherry tree, and another with a true Northwest backdrop - evergreen trees.  I couldn't help but shoot a few in her office, the place where all the creative juices flow. But my favorites are those we set up in her living room - her glamour shots! Her husband commented, when I brought her the DVD of all her photos, they were the best pictures she'd ever had taken. Thanks, Dick!

Janelle is a self-published award winning writer; her favorite genre is women's fiction. You can find sample chapters and stories from all her books on her own website, http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/. Janelle's books are available on Amazon and more recently downloadable to Kindle. You can also see more pictures of Janelle on my website, BonnieKingPhotography.com