Surprises

Surprises, when they aren't yellow jackets in your living room or an overnight jump in price at the gas station, are wonderful things. Some surprises are just happy unexpected ones. Some are humorous because of a twist on what you might expect. Maybe you know something is coming, but you don't know what it will be. And sometimes the camera lens catches a surprise nature left for us to discover.

Here is an unexpected happy surprise that has caused me to smile each time I look at my table. I'd forgotten how bright and happy balloons can be.

A twisted surprise can be when someone thinks outside of the box. In this case, there isn't a birthday cake and gift, there is a gift of homemade raspberry preserves with a candle in the wax that sealed the jar. The birthday serenade was a little off key and loud, but that friend doesn't read here so I can get away with saying that.

I belong to a small group of internet friends that have been together for enough years that it feels like we've known each other forever. Periodically we have a gift swap with a theme. One woman organizes it and notifies the senders. As a recipient, you know something is coming, but don't know from who or from what part of the country. We are in the midst of an Autumn or Halloween theme swap and I received these lovely items a few days ago. The bowl is full of homemade Rugalach! To quote Rachael Ray...Yum-O!


And last, but certainly not least, is Mother Nature's surprise. I was sitting on the deck with my camera lens zoomed in an attempt to photograph a bird that seemed to playing hide and seek with me. I didn't notice the spider web from a distance with my naked eye, but my camera lens seemed to stop on its own. My current knitting project is a lace pattern that is giving me fits if I don't give it undivided attention. Ironically, it was in my lap when I took this photo. Do you think the spider had to pay attention, or was she a multi-tasker? Perhaps she has a sense of humor and is telling her spider friends about the funny human she observed yesterday and what the silly creature was trying to create out of sticks and string.