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Jessie Eldora ⁽²⁴³⁾ Red Level Author

Jessie Eldora

gotmydigital.com

My Belly Is Hanging-out

Posted Sunday, August 03, 2008 (1 year 97 days ago.) Viewed 871 times.

I'm a young grandma of 62 years. It's summer and I struggle to pull-on my well fitting girdle. Yes, it's summer and I certainly dislike wearing a girdle. Girdles are still elastic. When I am not doing any of the heavier housework or gardening, I opt for a cotton panty shaper. This is my third year wearing girdles. The wearing of girdles was un-heard-of by me until now. The wearing is now permanent.

European women are more used of this garment. I had to learn to make a girdle wear longer by washing it in the proper way. I now wash them in tepid water with mild soap. A detergent for wool sweaters works. Postively no using the clothes dryer! Although I was fairly careful washing girdles in the beginning, I used the washing machine too much. A couple of quick swishes in the sink basin will do, and then hang to dry.

I had an operation. I have had more than one operation in the same area. I had had an abdominal hernia. In the last operation the surgeon had to come into that area from underneath the muscles. He told me that I would always have a big belly because of the way the operation was done. I have a mesh square inside at the bottom of my belly. I have a character belly. I have marks and lumps of fat. I accept my belly for what it is... that took time.

When I worked through my emotions of how I looked, I looked around and started to notice the many teen age girls of this generation... they look the same way as I do. Their bellies hang-out!

I buy extra large tops so that the material falls gracefully over the pushed-up fat area above my waist. The young girls don't care about that appearance. Above their tight jeans waist they over-hang. With the shorter tee shirts you see naked belly flab. I got used of seeing the older men with their big bellies hanging-out and they are still hanging-out, but I wonder about the young generation.

I was average weight and shape. I changed to pleasantly plump, and had to work on getting-back to average (was near my goal when I aquired the hernia). I walked and walked, did stretch exercises, and I went on a diet. I took those 'eat-up the body fat pills.' Now, I am average with a big belly. I cannot use those belly blaster workout pictures, or the beat the bulge for the Abdominals print-outs that I had saved. I am becoming smaller, gravity is pulling my skin downward. I look down and I see my big belly. I still watch how I pose for photographs. Maybe in a thousand years or so I will get fully used of it!

I'm glad for the firm denim fabric in jeans, it gives me a break from the girdles. I'm glad for the plus sizing for clothes. I'm glad for body shapers, and the wide selection of them. I found lacy as well as elastic girdles the other day, I'm glad to see design is being paid attention to.

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Don't Invite The Devil To Tea - poetic verse

Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 (1 year 211 days ago.) Viewed 28 times.

Oh woman alone,

With cake and tea

Hands and mind anxious

Reading leaf clumps of the tea

Tomorrow's sunrise a new day

A deck of fortune cards

In your hands

You're willing to play

You turn the newspaper

To that page

Where written horoscopes

Cover every age

Down the street you do go

Looking for Palmistry

To offer your hands read

With your tea

Oh woman alone

Is it hard to see?

Whose territory

Don't invite the devil to tea!

God lays out the course of man in front of him. The Holy Spirit prompts him to make the right steps. Man's faith allows him to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Walking in faith allows man to avoid the pitfalls satan puts in our way. Without 'the shield of faith' man is afraid to make his steps laid out by the Holy Spirit, he leads on his own understanding and falls prey to satan's ways.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demostration of the Holy Spirit's power, so that your faith might rest not on man's wisdom, but on God's power. - Apostle Paul
- New International Version -

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Grandma's Nightie - Short Verse - Children

Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 (1 year 211 days ago.) Viewed 156 times.

There's no place I'd rather waken and be,

Is where my feet are tucked in Grandma's long nightie

First it's my tiny feet under her belly,

I wiggle my head up to her face so pretty

Says five year old me.

My grandma has a king sized bed,

I sneak in there anytime during the night

Grandma can hardy lift a thread,

So know I can stay... it will be all right

Says five year old me.

With me I will bring my favorite thing,

It could be my soft stuffed piggy

It could be my stuffed bear I'll bring,

My oldest teddy... my dolly, my bunny?

Says five year old me.

Here, finds us in the morning's light,

Me all sprawled-out and just so comfy

Grandma hugging her bed side snug and tight,

I wiggle my head up to her face so pretty

Says five year old me, Brittany.

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Understanding the White Balance of the Digital Camera

Posted Tuesday, June 26, 2007 (2 years 135 days ago.) Viewed 120 times.

When I was a new user of the digital camera I sailed merrily along, not giving much thought to white balance. My first digital camera, a point and shoot Canon A-310, was excellent for color. An awkward sort of change came when that camera was dropped in the waters of a creek crossing. The camera was left damaged, with only the memory card untouched. My second digital, also a point and shoot model, was a borrowed Sony cyber-shot. This camera was new to me and I didn't know it had no white balance mode. It had most of the same mode settings otherwise. It also had a snow mode, which I loved. Perhaps there would be no more bluish overtones?

I discovered the difference of not having a white balance mode the day I had a bad photo shoot. I took off-white pictures! I took many poses of my cute sisters dressed in their matching black and white attire. Little did I know that when I clicked so many times I disturbed the white balance, only the first few pictures turned-out. Being very disappointed, I wanted to learn how to take the best color photos. I had to understand the white balance of digital cameras, as this was the key to good color photos.

The day I took the pictures of my sisters it was sunny with overcast periods, the background was not the best, either. Too many times I had asked my models to pose in different positions. The models became impatient and smiles were fading. I had assumed that changing between the cloudy mode and the sunny mode, the images would be color balanced. How can you tell if the image is off-white? When the image is off-white it will be dull looking. I also know because those peculiar shots were refused by an online photo stock company as having an off-white balance. This is harder to tell on your little digital LCD screen, where it is easier to see on your computer screen. This is why it is always best to check your white balance before hand.

I also learned that different light sources have varying color temperatures, including neutral. The balance is a reference point in which your camera determines the true color white. The camera has a harder time judging true white, a harder time than our eyes do. The camera will calculate what it is told: you need to tell the camera how to handle the lighting condition. Film photographers use filters and lens, with digital cameras you use white balancing.

One has to understand white balance if you want to program your camera. Learn enough about balancing when your camera has no white balance mode. I had looked-up a Kelvin color chart spectrum chart. 5000 K (K for Kelvin) is neutral light. Our automatic white balance mode is set-up using a neutral light measurement. To set a balance you can take a picture of a non-glossy white surface, but first place it where it is not in shadow. I use a small to medium piece of cut cardboard and I carry it with me. You can also use a white T-shirt surface, or the underside of a coffee container lid, if available. It would be a good investment to buy the credit card size white or grey card. They are professionally made for this so there is more chance it is correct.

White color balance is so important for good color. I check my white balance often now. It's good thing we can experiment with the digital camera. We can shoot many frames as they can be deleted or saved at no cost. The saved images can be further edited in a photo editor computer program. In an editor program, a color balancing tool can take away the wrong color cast. For regular photography the automatic white balance and other mode settings work-out just fine. It is good to have an understanding of the white balance so you can take the best color photographs.

Jessie Eldora www.gotmydigital.com

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There's Bears Out There - Bear encounters - a short story

Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2007 (2 years 197 days ago.) Viewed 214 times.

We reached our five acre wooded lot with enthusiasm to get to our Boeler trailer we were living in. It was kind of exciting to do that while we were building our shed to move into. Talk about roughing it. It was chilly May in the northwest interior of Canada. If you drove by you would see a barely cleared lot, and a makeshift clothesline in the trees, across from the smallest Boeler trailer. My new husband and I had just bought acreage at Cluculz Lake, BC. We didn't know a whole lot about the area. The price was right.

Settling in for the night after being there a short time, we were awakened by the trailer… bouncing. Half asleep we couldn't figure it out, but we were very tired, we fell back to sleep when it stopped short.

We checked under the trailer in the morning to find the stored bags torn apart. It was then we realized it must have being a bear. We were city folk.

The next encounter we did see a bear, the brown bear variety. Coming home from shopping in a small town miles away, we put groceries on the table in our newly built shed. I am not sure where we went. There was much to do around the lot. Walking back to the shed, we spotted a large bear, standing behind the clothesline. A few yards away we saw the cub. We just stood there, and she just stood there. Finally she turned and headed into the next vacant wooded lot. We waited awhile, and then approached our shed home. The loaf of fresh bread was missing! Nothing else on the table or cupboards was touched. Looking around we saw the screen from the window was well ripped, having a large hole. Aha, this Mama was neat and tidy, or just selective. So glad we did not come back any sooner, or we may have come closer to her than at the clothesline!

From inquiring around the neighborhood, we were told that our land was on a bear walk. At that time hardly anyone passed on that land, except deer and fox. The bears were used of the liberty and thought it their land. Well, I guess we had to get used of it. Maybe in time they will know it is our property?

We returned home from the Okanagan where we had visited with our families. It was summer and an excellent time to bring home peach fruit. I was used of preserving fruit. I knew it would be a little awqward on a camp stove, but I loved peaches. We arrived back to Cluculz, very late at night, and very tired. I placed the box of peaches out, at the backside of the shed, where a table was. In the morning I was anxious to start canning. I went outside to find the box, mostly empty! A few feet away I saw the part eaten peaches spewed all around on the ground, and for quite a way. I cried real tears. Will we ever learn!

We had to bear safe our property. This is what we did. No open garbage outside, at all. All garbage in garbage bags tightly sealed and no poke holes, and store in our vehicle, with the windows rolled up, and double-checked. No using compost in the garden. Always watch our backs and make a noise, maybe sing. Things were going smoothly for a while, no bear encounters.

Off to the dump we go, so proud that we are smarter now. Are we? Here we are trying not to encourage bears, and on the road to the dumpster, there is torn garbage bags with litter along the sides. Many bags of litter, even hanging in the trees. I couldn't figure it out. Earle walked-up to the dumpster to drop our bags in. Up arose a huge paw, just missing his hand! Of course it was a large bear. Earle just had to grab a quick look; sure enough it was a very large bear. I was annoyed by Earle having to look and at his laughing. I wanted to go, right now. We went. Were people afraid of the bears' eating spot, or were they too lazy to dump further to the dumpster? Later on that year the dump was closed. There was a well-maintained dump for another lake further up the highway, in which our area was told we could go to. There were bears there too, but up the hill and further away. There were machines to plow and bury.

We thought our newly built cabin house was secure enough. We're in the kitchen eating, when we hear a loud thump against the wall, at the window above the sink! I warn Earle not to go outside to investigate. We wait. Checking later, we see faint mud-like marks on the wall below the window. I am so glad the cabin is built high up. We know it was a bear; the window was open while we were cooking supper. I was told also, that bears really like the smell of dirty baby diapers.

Our encounters would go on. It was the daily life for us and for our neighbors. It was not uncommon to see a bear on your patio or deck, through your windows. I dented a pair of old pots, making a loud noise for the lackadaisical bear that was in the garden digging-up and eating last year's parsnips. That bear did not move any too soon.

A little cub was digging at the bottom of the outhouse and wandered close to the back door. I thought to take a picture through the window, but even as close as he was, the picture was not clear. I did not have my camera with the zoom lens anymore. I would not chance going anywhere near a bear. I have no bear pictures. I put mothballs around the bottom of the outhouse. There are bears out there.

Jessie Eldora Robertson www.gotmydigital.com

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