AOL Is Junking J-Land

Along with other AOLers today, I found this notice in my email that AOL J-Land is finished. I knew this was coming when they let John Scalzi go. I figured it would happen fairly soon when they announced their photo service was ending. But it still comes as a shock.

The Announcement Reads:

Dear AOL Journals user,

We’re sorry to inform you that on Oct. 31, 2008, AOL® Journals will be shut down permanently. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

It’s very important that you save your Journals content before the shutdown. We're working on a way to easily move your Journal to another blogging service -- you can expect an email within the next week with more details about how to do it. We want the transition to go as smoothly as possible for you, so you’ll have two choices. You can either save your information manually and find another place to blog on your own, or choose to automatically transfer your Journal to a different blogging service we’ve selected.

In the meantime, please bookmark the People Connection Blog, where you can find out more about AOL Journals. You can also subscribe to the People Connection Blog RSS feed to stay informed about any changes. We’ll be updating the People Connection Blog often, so please check it regularly.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make this transition.

Sincerely,

The AOL Journals Team

J-Land was the last, best community AOL had going for it. AOL blew it up with their broken promises, forced advertising, and arrogant disregard for their remaining paying members. And still, they had a loyal core following who stayed true to the brand. Most companies would kill for that, not show them the door.

J-Landers, you were the greatest. AOL does not deserve you. I hope you'll all end up over here in Blogspot, and if any of you need help navigating the place I'll be happy to help all I can.

I intended to move over my old posts and photos some time ago, but kept putting it off. Looks like another thing I need to evaluate; do I add it to my to-do list or just let it go and move on? If you're faced with it too, what are you doing?

Ruby Tuesday: Let 'Em Eat Cake

Remember that wedding I went to a couple of weeks ago? Well, it seems wedding confections have come a long way since the white cake and buttercream days. Each layer was a layer cake, and one was chocolate. They had fruit filling between the layers, too. Yummy.

Check out the rest of the entries over at theteach's place, Work of the Poet. And by the way, for those of you curious about last week's duct-taped DeSoto, scroll down for a full view. Happy Tuesday!

A Good Fit for Fairies

These mushrooms grow along the pine border in the background of the photo in my last post at Havenwood. They are huge, at least eight to ten inches tall and equally as wide. The day after this was taken, the one in the foreground had a bite out of it, probably nibbled by one of the many deer that come through there every day.

The fields and woods around here are just studded with all kinds of amazing mushrooms. Recent heavy rains have brought in a bumper crop of them, and I simply can't resist a daily foray into the underbrush in search of the exotic and vaguely mysterious little creatures.



This one and the next are also inhabitants of the pine line. The one above is about three inches tall, shares the edge of the path with the big boys above, and looks like an egg yolk hovering just above the ground. The next one is about six inches tall, and seems to prefer the deep shade back near the tree trunks. See the others in the background?



Unfortunately, the rains have also increased the mosquito population to nearly intolerable levels. As long as I keep up a brisk walk, I'm relatively safe. But within seconds of stopping for a photograph I am enveloped in a stabbing, buzzing swarm. The last outing cost me 16 new bites. Totally worth it:



Is this cute, or what. It's only about an inch high, and is growing all alone in the middle of a mossy path around the pond. Deeper in the woods, these mottled brown fellows grow among the roots of oaks and beeches...



Apparently, given all the bites around the edges, some small animal finds them tasty. Below, on an old rotting log, these fragile, ethereal beauties jostle for light like a flight of angels hurrying home to Heaven.



It is difficult to pay attention to camera settings while being eaten alive, so these could be better, I'm sure. Dedication to the perfect shot only carries me so far. But these are my favorites so far, and I hope you like them too.

There is so much work to be done here, and running off to the woods with a camera while cabinets need scrubbing would have been unthinkable a short while ago. However, under my new set of priorities, pleasurable pursuits trump domestic duties. Because I say so.

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Blog.

This little corner of cyberspace has evolved over time, changing form, function and even its address. Along the way, it has come to resemble a crowded closet; it's full of good stuff, but lacks focus and organization. Maraca has become primarily a photo blog for the weekly challenges I like to do, and a show-and-tell spot for web links I want to share. Frankly, I'm still fine with that. Nothing here will change all that much.

However, with the move to the new house imminent, I feel the need for more space, more clarity of purpose. This is change with a capital C, a seismic shift. A lot of things I love are officially ending. On the other hand, I now have this last, grand chance to reinvent myself and to create my own true home.

And so, I have begun a new blog for my new life. I'm calling it Havenwood. Why? Well, for one thing, "Woodhaven" was already taken. Secondly, this whole thing began because the hubby dreamed of having a great, big wood shop and lumber mill -- not an option in suburbia. Thirdly, I dreamed of a place with plenty of space, with a woodland that I could roam at will and protect from the chain saw. I know. It's ironic. But there it is, and there we are, and here's the link to the new place:

Havenwood url: http://havenwoodhouse.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll come visit me there!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: It's Ours

We closed on the new house today!

I'm still half thrilled and half terrified. We spent the whole day there, the hubby mowing weeds and me exploring nooks and crannies, airing the place out and deciding on paint colors. Now, at last, this is beginning to feel real.

There are some fairly major things that still need doing, foremost among them being pumping out the septic tank and putting in a radon remediation system in the basement. I'll need kitchen appliances, too, which is a whole other post. But I'm excited about all the possibilities of life in the country.


The really nice thing about this place is the variety. There are irrigated open spaces for growing things, a fenced pasture and barn, plus acres of woods and a pond.








Oh yeah. This is gonna be fun.

Check out others' views at PhotoHunt
(Click photos to enlarge.)

Monday Photo Shoot: First Days of Fall

Here in Indiana, the leaves are changing and the goldenrod is in full bloom. Early mornings and late evenings, it's too chilly for the bees to fly. It's easy to photograph them while they hang there, seemingly in suspended animation.

Stop by at Carly's place to participate or to check out other entries in the Monday Photo Shoot.

A Little Bit o' Red

After all, what's more American than duct tape, I ask ya?

For more red-trimmed wonders, check out this week's Ruby Tuesday.


*Update Sept. 26. Yes indeed, folks, all those stripes are duct tape. The whole car is covered in the stuff. I'd have shown you the whole thing, but that would have been a whole lot more than "a little" red. However, since you've asked, here 'tis:

Round Robins: Green

In keeping with the Green theme for Round Robins Photo Challenge this week, I bring you a little sulphur butterfly with big, green eyes. (I seem to be into bugs these days, don't I?)

Our topic idea comes from Julie, of the blog Julie's Journal. Thanks, Julie, for a fun one!

To check out the other participants, click here.

Ruby Tuesday: Shrimp on the Hoof

Believe it or not, this fellow really is that red. I don't know which impressed me more, his color or his whiskers. I hope the ones I've been scarfing down all these years aren't this cute.

*Update Sept.16: I saw this in a fish store at the Farmers Market. A friend tells me this critter is kept in salt water aquaria as a pet, rather than ending up as a colorful snack. Which would make sense, as it's really small. Like ... shrimpy.

Check out the rest of the entries over at theteach's place, Work of the Poet.

The Story Stone Project

*Original Post Here

When I posted this piece for the "Beautiful" Photo Hunt topic, Sandcastle Momma suggested making up a story for this old brooch. Three of us so far have come out to play. As promised, here are the stories and links. If you're inspired too, either leave your story in the comments or post it in your blog and leave a link in the comments. I'll add links to your entries in updates to this post. So, without further ado...

From Ian whose excellent blogs include So Far, So Good.

"Never did this brooch leave my mother's possession, let alone her trinkets box. She pawned or sold everything she had- including herself- when Father got sick in the summer of '50. But never this brooch. No picture of her exists wearing this rather ornate piece of jewelry. I never saw her wear it, not even to my own wedding, not even to match the unapologetic display of wealth of my in laws.

Wait, I saw her wear it, once, when I was in third grade. I was walking home from school (since I got kicked out of the bus) when I saw her across the street, rushing through the madding crowd, brooch on her left breast, shimmering in the afternoon sun. The shimmering was abruptly dulled by the tight, excited hug of a man I've never seen before..."

From Janet, of the blog Fond of Snape:

"Back when she was a traveling gypsy, telling fortunes, she always thought the blue crystal she gazed into would, when she retired, make a lovely centerpiece on a brooch...and she was right!"

And mine:

Evening sunlight slanted past the whispering leaves of the ancient oaks on Diamair Street, danced quickly through the rippled glass of a certain attic window, and gathered, glowing, in the heart of a sky blue stone.

The sudden glint caught the eye of one Maggie Faye, age 11, as the old brooch fell from the folds of Irish lace the child had pulled from her grandmother's dusty trunk.

Maggie came often to Nanna's house. She loved its warm kitchen, its soft, flowered sofa, and the walls lined with books. She loved gardening with Nanna and, of course, Nanna herself, with her twinkling eyes and her fairytales. However, Maggie had been to the attic only once before, when Nanna had taken her there to see the photograph of her great grandfather. Nanna had used an ornate metal key to open the door, and had locked it again when they left. And so, Maggie was surprised when the door opened for her on this afternoon, when she had grown bored and gone exploring.

Maggie caught the brooch as it fell. She had never seen anything like it. There were seven small, bright stones at the top, and an empty place where an eighth had been. Nine more, three sets of three, glittered at the bottom edge. Five chained blue orbs with spiral markings hung bellow. They made a pleasant, chiming sound as Maggie held the brooch up to the light. As the great blue stone caught the sun's last rays, its misty center began to flicker. Maggie drew it closer, unable to believe her eyes or to look away.

The room had grown dark by the time a cold hand gripped Maggie's shoulder, hard enough to hurt. Blinking, Maggie looked up into her grandmother's face, drained of color and strangely unfamiliar. "Careless ... stupid ... reckless to have kept it here," Nanna whispered, staring at the jewel in her grandchild's hand.

Maggie rose quickly to her feet, heat creeping into her cheeks. "I'm sorry Nanna, I didn't mean to ... I just wanted to see what was in the trunk, honest. Here, take it ..."

But Nanna was already shaking her head slowly and backing away. "No, child. It has come to you now. There is no going back."

Wild, Wild Woolyworm

I don't know what he is, but this little guy sports a pretty wild coat of fur. I found him on a fence post out on the new property today. (The head is the part pointing down.)

Check out the rest of this week's Photo Hunt entries over at tnchick.com.

Making a Splash

Carly over at Ellipsis has chosen Water in Motion as the theme for her second Monday Photo Shoot. As luck would have it, I shot dozens of frames of water the last time we were out in the boat. I like this one best.

Check out the other entries at Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #2: Water In Motion.

Ruby Tuesday: Reds R Us

Lots of red on the ferris wheel inside the Manhattan Toys R Us.

Check out the other Ruby Tuesday paricipants at theteach's place, Work of the Poet.

End of the World in 3...2...

Wednesday, September 10, a bunch of Smart People in Switzerland will fire up the biggest atom smasher ever made, the CERN Large Hadron Collider. It will either reveal the deepest secrets of the universe or create a black hole that will gulp down the whole planet. Maybe even the whole universe.

Actually, the chances we'll all wink out of existence are slim -- but they're not zero. You might want to spend the next 48 hours or so working on your bucket list. Just in case.

Photo Hunt: Strings

Half a moon, peeking through the power lines. Check out the other entries at tnchick.com

*I'm not really here. I'm at a wedding in Ohio. If all has gone well, you're seeing a prescheduled post in Blogger. Sorry I can't get around to see everyone this week!

Impending Brief Hiatus

The fates are conspiring to keep me pretty busy for a while. I'll be working overtime at the office this week and next, going through all the hoops for buying a house, and heading out of town Thursday night for a wedding. There's a good chance I'll miss out on the photo challenges, and even if I make those I won't be around to comment on your blogs much, if at all. I'm sorry about that. I do enjoy surfing around to see all the great posts and entries.

I do hope some of you will try the Story Stone project. I'll be back to post up your stories as soon as the dust settles around here.

Ruby ' Tude Day

Tuesday tribe, meet Gatsby. Here he's trying to ignore the Food Lady's inexplicable and annoying invasion of his sunspot. He was doing pretty well, actually, until just about here. I was going for the red collar on a napping kitty. The evil-eye was gravy.

Check out all of this week's Ruby Tuesday entries over at theteach's place, Work of the Poet.

OmigodOmigodOmigod....

We found it! We're making an offer on the bee house! We're really gonna do it! We're moving! ... Omigod we're moving. Omigod we're trading a paid off house in town for a mortgage and a commute ... But we're gonna have a vegetable garden and open spaces, and our very own woods, and fresh, clean air, and deer, and a dark starry sky! Omigod we're gonna have to buy a tractor to mow this place and snowplow the driveway. I may actually have to learn to drive a tractor ... would that be fun?? I dunno, I've never had a tractor. We're gonna have five bedrooms and a finished den in the basement! Omigod what the hell are we doing with a house that big? The place is steal at this price ... Omigod the price! We are never, ever going to able to retire! But what a wonderful place to come home to at the end of the day ... OmigodOmigodOmigodOmigod ...