Monthly Archives: March 2014

31 03, 2014

Color Me What Color?

By |2018-11-15T09:52:08-06:00March 31st, 2014|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

After five years, I’ve decided it’s time to revamp my website.

Branding has been a big component of my thought process as I work with a web designer to create an updated site.

I’ve written several popular blogs on the topic. You can check out the three part series (1) here or (2) here or (3) here and another here.

I thought I had a good handle on branding until the designer asked me a basic question. What color scheme do I want? 

Now, I’m thinking lots about color.

Research shows

  • Strong color elicits strong visceral responses. For example, red is energizing, blue affects introspection, and golden light inspires the spiritual or enlightened.
  • Using colors can set up an audience or a reader to anticipate particular actions and/or things.

Ever notice how movie producers employ color to set the viewer’s expectations. Gwyneth Paltrow’s bedspread in Shakespeare in Love and Nick Cage’s bedspread in Moonstruck were a hot orange-red…a color which suggests heat and activity. And, guess what – lots of lusty activity happened on those orange-red bedspreads. 

Colors do symbolize and, either blatantly or subtly, enhance the mood of the reader or viewer.

Suddenly, color became be a critical component for my new brand. I found a color symbolism chart on a fascinating website and a . Canva also offers a page that teaches you about colors and color combination meanings. There’s another excellent explanation of color meanings here.

Only trouble is, with all that knowledge, I’m having a hard time deciding what color would make a viewer think of women’s fiction with romance and literary flair?

Here’s the list. You’ll see what I mean.

Red: Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate, sincerity, happiness (Only in Japan)
 
Pink symbolizes love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm.
 
Beige and ivory symbolize unification. Ivory symbolizes quiet and pleasantness. Beige symbolizes calm and simplicity.
 
Yellow signifies joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship.
 
Blue: Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.
 
Turquoise symbolizes calm. Teal symbolizes sophistication. Aquamarine symbolizes water. Lighter turquoise has a feminine appeal.
 
Purple: Royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, honor, arrogance, mourning, temperance.
 
Lavender symbolizes femininity, grace and elegance.
 
Orange: Energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.
 
Green: Nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor.
 
Brown: Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.
 
Gray: Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring. Silver symbolizes calm.
 
White: Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical.
 
Black: Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical color, mourning, death (Western cultures), austerity, detachment.

So what colors would you choose?

 

28 03, 2014

Little House by Miller Farm

By |2014-03-28T06:00:03-05:00March 28th, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday, Uncategorized|2 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Several weeks ago our new neighbors moved a playhouse into the space between our houses. They intend to move it into the backyard but need to remove the fence and rent a forklift. It’s an adorable little house.

little house2

One morning as I was loading my things into the car to go to work, an older couple was standing in the neighbor’s yard admiring the house. They asked me if the neighbors were selling it.

Now there is a real estate agent in town who shares my name and I have actually taken her phone calls in the past. I, however, am not interested in taking her job.

I explained that the neighbors had recently moved in, have five children and were probably still asleep, but I would check with them later. The couple had retired and wanted a play house for their grandchildren. I wished them luck and went on to my real job – teaching music.

The house has been there for about three weeks now. It isn’t bothering me and there have been no more sales offers.

Bella, our dachshund with short-term memory issues, continues to bark at it every time she goes outside. And every time I explain to her that it is the same house that has been there and barking will not make it go away.

I used to think it took a lot of patience to deal with children. Now I realize that dogs are much more challenging.

27 03, 2014

The Truth about Southern Snakes

By |2014-03-27T07:06:09-05:00March 27th, 2014|Company's Coming|0 Comments

 by Guest Blog Contributor Jody Payne

The truth is: Snakes down here are very dangerous. One nearly drowned my cousin, twice removed. It’s true. I swanee.

cotton mouthThis cousin, twice removed, was out fishing on the bayou one evening when a snake dropped out of a tree and landed in his boat.

When he heard the thump and saw that white cottonmouth gaping open at him, he grabbed his shotgun and shot the filthy thing.

Killed him dead.

He’s a good shot. I’ll give him that.

Unfortunately, the bullet went right through the snake and made a good size hole in this boat. It wasn’t until he felt the water up to his knees that he realized what he’d done.

Don’t tell my aunt I told you this because she’s trying to keep the whole incident quiet, but frankly, no one down here is surprised. We’re inclined to think there was beer involved.

At least, I’m hoping so. His drinking problem can be cured. Stupid is another matter.

Oh come on, you don’t have a cousin like that? ‘Fess up. You don’t have to use his real name here, and you’ll make us all feel better about our own kin.

Your aunt will never know.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

jodyJody Payne is

a writer (fiction and non-fiction),

a horse woman (dressage, no less),

an animal lover (just ask her two rescue dogs Annie and Janie or my two four-legged boys, Toby and Buster),

and most of all she’s southern through and through.

Visit her on FB: https://www.facebook.com/jodypaynesays

Her website: www.jodypayne.net

 

26 03, 2014

Flowers – One Word Wednesday

By |2014-03-26T06:00:45-05:00March 26th, 2014|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

spring

Warm days and chilly mornings hold the promise of spring blooms.

I love this e.e.cummings quote and Edie Melson’s photo of the Iris.

I’m anxious to hear the earth’s laughter, aren’t you?

btw, some of you might have seen this post on Monday. :) That’s because I can’t read a calendar. Hope you’re enjoying Edie’s picture and cummings’ words a second time.

24 03, 2014

Signs of Spring

By |2019-03-23T10:11:21-05:00March 24th, 2014|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Around here, life is stirring from its wintery slumber.

Walking the dogs today, I spotted the first sprigs of green popping up through the brown fields. Birds circled looking for our feeders.

The mountaintops of the San Juan Mountains are losing their white caps. Ice is sliding from our rooftop in great chunks. Once it’s all gone, the cycle of daytime melting, nighttime freezing will end.

Thanks to our grandson, who spent hours of his spring break with us chopping up the 12-15” of ice from the front walk, we have a safe path into the front yard. Our warm days will keep the thickness from returning. We’ll still have ice, but not the buildup that was so treacherous.

The mini-mountains of dirt from the garage addition excavation last year are turning back to brown. dirt as of 11-13I think I preferred the snow cover. Unfortunately, until the ground itself thaws, the landscaper can’t move the dirt around and away.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Every day more and more of the snow covering the flowerbeds melts. Under the snow blanket, I hope the fifty daffodil and tulip bulbs I planted last fall are pushing up.

After thirty years in tropical Houston, I look forward to the smiling faces of daffodils and tulips in my garden and not in a store-bought pot. At least until the deer come to munch on them.

Our trees are budding, but barely. Soon nubs will fill the bare Aspen and Cottonwood branches.

The rich earthy smell of spring is just around the corner too. I can feel it in the air.

You know the scent of snow-cleansed soil and growing things. A perfume combination no amount of chemistry can reproduce.

How about you? Are signs of spring coming to your neck of the woods?

21 03, 2014

Broody Hens – Miller Farm Friday

By |2014-03-21T06:00:41-05:00March 21st, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Periodically one or more of our hens goes broody.  This means she sits on her eggs with the intent of hatching them.

Usually I just reach under her and grab the eggs, explaining that I feed them, they feed me. Their response is then to peck at my hand.

Rachel is a little harsher.  She will pick the hens up and toss them out of the nest box then collects the eggs.

Currently, Rachel and Beekeeper Brian have decided we should let the hens sit on the eggs until they hatch. This is fine with me – less pecking on my hands.

Apparently this particular clutch of eggs requires more than one hen.  Today there were three sitting on the eggs making it a group effort.

broody hens

One of our bantam hens is sitting on eggs also.

Sometimes I find an egg that has been pushed out from under the hens.  I’ve learned that frequently this is a bad egg Having cracked one open in the house, I discovered the unpleasant and lingering smell of rotten egg.

Now I crack the outcast eggs outside to see if it is a good or bad egg.

In other news, we are hoping to get a replacement rooster for Elliot.  I’ll keep you posted.

19 03, 2014

Bye, Bye Winter Bye, Bye

By |2014-03-19T06:00:53-05:00March 19th, 2014|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Tomorrow, March 20 spring arrives with the vernal equinox on at 12:57 P.M. EDT.

To say good-bye winter, I offer this fabulous Piano Guys video actually filmed on the ice in the snow.

Let It Go (Disney’s “Frozen”) Vivaldi’s Winter

I don’t know about you, but I’m very, very happy the snow and the ice will soon be gone.

I can’t wait to see the little daffodils popping out. How about you?
seasons-spring(1)

 

17 03, 2014

Being Irish on St. Patrick’s Day

By |2014-03-17T06:00:09-05:00March 17th, 2014|Holidays|0 Comments

IrishIt’s St. Patrick’s Day. We’re all Irish for  today.

Personally, I count myself Irish for the other 364 days since my Irish heritage can be trace through both my mother and father’s parents.

I remember the day I felt those Irish genes for the first time. My blood truly began to tingle and my heart sang at the site of the green fields I saw from the airplane’s window. Then when I dipped my hand in the River Shannon, I knew I’d come home.me at River Shannon in Ireland

I’d tagged along on my husband’s business trip not really thinking about the family stories of Irish heritage…Mama Smith who was a Callahan or Oma Ulit whose family landed on Ellis Island in the days of the Potato Famine.

But an amazing thing happened while my husband conducted business throughout Ireland, Scotland and Britain.

I uncovered my Irish roots. So much so a brogue surfaced.

An Irish lilt that returns whenever we spend time on the Emerald Isle and at odd times when we don’t.

After nine more trips over ten years, those roots have solidified and my love of all things Irish has grown deep.

Today we celebrate Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick, who, as you may know, wasn’t even Irish but English.

Still, he’s credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland…and if you believe the Irish folklore, chased all the snakes away. Read all about the St. Patrick here.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!

blessing

14 03, 2014

Rough Week on Miller Farm

By |2014-03-14T06:00:29-05:00March 14th, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Last Thursday in the middle of the day I made a grisly discovery—a half-eaten chicken in the chicken yard.

I quickly scanned the flock to see who was missing.  All the named chickens were accounted for so I breathed a sigh of relief.  It was sad nonetheless and a mystery.

What was bold enough to attack in broad day light?  And would it return?????

I left town Friday morning for a weekend retreat and Rachel came home Friday afternoon for Spring Break.  I talked to her Saturday and she told me that Crooked Neck had died.  This was sad news indeed.

crooked neckCrooked Neck was from one of the first set of eggs we hatched.  We didn’t expect her to live very long since her neck was so misshapen but she survived several years.

Monday morning when I went to let the chickens out, I discovered that Elliot had died during the night.  There was no evidence of foul play so I’m not sure what happened.  It was almost more than I could bear.

elliotBeekeeper Brian and Matt are in Colorado and when I told Brian about Elliot, he said “Well don’t throw him away.  I want to use his feathers for tying flies.”

I must admit, Elliot did have wonderful feathers.

I took Catherine (our eldest) shopping while she was home to get a dress for her Junior Recital.  She is an oboe performance major at Hardin Simmons University.  At one store, they frequently feature books and accompanying stuffed animals.  The proceeds from their sale go to support kids’ health and education initiatives.

This time the books were Dr. Seuss books including one of my favorites Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb — a very repetitive, rhythmic book that I use in my music class.  It came with a stuffed monkey so, of course, I had to buy both.

monkeyI read the book to Catherine which she found extremely silly.  Then I decided to name the monkey Elliot – in memory of our dear departed rooster.  It has made our loss much more bearable.

This morning, all the chickens were alive and pecking.  Maybe the roughness has ended.

13 03, 2014

Olympians desire to change the world?

By |2014-03-13T06:00:12-05:00March 13th, 2014|Company's Coming|2 Comments

torch twoA guest blog by  Jody Payne

Tonight I crept out of my writer’s cave to hear an interview with an obvious non-athlete at the Olympian Games. He talked of the athlete’s desire to change the world.

Excuse me? Are you kidding?

I have worked with some extraordinary athletes in the horse ring. Don’t get me wrong. I am nowhere near their quality. I just happen to know them.

To my knowledge, the ones I know are not out to change the world.

These dedicated human beings don’t waste a lot of time thinking about the State of the Union, what the Dow is doing, or which way to the nearest photographer.

Do you honestly believe when a skier is standing at the top of an obscenely high mountain looking down and waiting for the signal to descend she is thinking about changing the world?

Get real. She is visualizing the perfect run. They know there has to be luck on any particular day, but they also know they are so incredibly good that today this run can prove they are the absolute best in the world.medals

That’s a horrible, exacting standard to live with. However, somehow, these particular athletes get up every morning and face it.

Let’s don’t strap them with changing the world too.

Here’s the takeaway for this particular tirade: If each of us put the effort into being the best we could possibly be, if every morning we rolled out of bed and did the absolute best we could at what we do, we might just change our own personal world.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen. Rolling out of bed is the most some of us can handle some days. Just showing up is a major victory.

Been there. Done that.

Tomorrow is another day. Do better.

It’s tough, this reaching for perfection. And now we expect our athletes to change the world?

No wonder ballplayers take drugs.

Before you start with the hate mail, I’m not condoning drugs. Far from it. Let’s just make a deal with them.

You do your best, without drugs, and we won’t expect you to change the world.

Does this sound like a fair deal to you?

I’m just saying…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jody Payne isjody

a writer (fiction and non-fiction),

a horse woman (dressage, no less),

an animal lover (just ask her two rescue dogs Annie and Janie or my two four-legged boys, Toby and Buster),

and most of all she’s southern through and through.

You can connect with her on FB: https://www.facebook.com/jodypaynesays

Her website: www.jodypayne.net

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