Sally, without the white balance set to Incandescent. Much better, I think.

Here’s kind of a gross story. The chickens love grapes. LOVE. Sally has always been more partial to the thinly sliced apples I feed them. This Summer, however, she has discovered that yes, grapes are quite delicious. I try to tear them in half for her, but sometimes she gets so impatient, she just grabs them out of my hand. And then she swallows them  whole, one after another. And you can actually see them, the little round lumps, moving down her long neck. It creeps me out, yet I cannot look away. Sometimes I even just feed her the whole grapes so I can watch her swallow.

Read More

I’m still trying to learn how to use my zoom lens, and I was practicing this morning. Sally kept walking closer and closer. I think I have a picture that is nearly all beak. In this one you can see her pretty blue eyes. Er, eye.

The dogs run through the dew and drink out of Sally’s pool in the morning, then go lay in the dirt, so they’re always a bit disheveled looking in the morning. Here’s Winston’s dirty face:

There has been quite the chicken soap opera going on around these parts, but it will take several entries to share that tale. In the meantime, meet Colonel Sanders:

Something I really need to work on: check the white balance before taking pictures! I was so concerned about my aperture and shutter speed that I forgot that the last time I used my camera I was taking pictures in the kitchen in the evening and had the white balance set on incandescent. Doh! So that’s why everything is blue. That’s also not the first time I’ve done that. When will I learn?

And now, a list of movies that should not be viewed on an empty stomach:

• Big Night
• Eat Drink Man Woman
• Howard’s End
• Mostly Martha

Do you have any to add to the list? I’m just trying to serve the public here at Hey Lucy, and prevent any unnecessary hunger pangs.

I watched Mostly Martha last night, but it was after dinner, so I was okay. Next on my Netflix queue is No Reservations. I’m going to see how it compares to Mostly Martha. I usually hate Hollywood remakes (for example, Shall We Dance, the Japanese version, is far superior to the U.S. version), so I have very low expectations.

Read More

Hello lonely little blog. I have been doing lots of stuff and taking lots of pictures and right now I’m visiting my family in Idaho, which is so very fun. The above was taken in Idaho City at this crazy, strange, abandoned second hand store. I’ll be back soon!

Read More

I haven’t had a lot of time lately to take pictures, so I decided to make the most of my lazy Saturday and take a few. I also ate some very delicious food, so I combined the two activities and took artful pictures of what I ate. My kitchen table sits in a corner where there are two large windows, so the light is quite nice there. I know I’m probably a little weird, but hopefully you will appreciate at least one of these elements of my day-pretty pictures and/or pretty food.

I started the day with my usual yogurt and berries, but I had a treat of fresh raspberries instead of frozen blueberries. Mr. HeyLucy can be very thoughtful and generous, and likes to bring me ‘treats’ when he goes to the grocery store. I’ve been trying for months to get him to understand that four pints of ice cream and a giant box of chocolate chip cookies are not treats that I want every week. It finally, finally clicked, and this week he brought me a big box of fresh raspberries, and a package of fish (tandoori tuna, or something exotic like that). Go Mr. HeyLucy! Good job :o)


I tried Agave Nectar for the first time, instead of my usual honey. It was quite tasty.

Later I had a snack of figs and goat cheese, drizzled with honey. A couple summers ago I discovered that fresh figs are one of my favorite fruits, while spending a lazy afternoon at a friend’s house by her pool. Her neighbor had a fig tree, and had given her a huge box. I couldn’t stop eating them. I think fig season is fairly short, and I don’t know if you can get figs everywhere, but if you see them, try them! I love how they are sort of ugly on the outside, but slice them open and they’re all pink and lovely on the inside.


I love fig season! It also coincides with peony season, which is another of my favorites. I’ve had a bunch on my desk at work every week for the past month. I bought another bunch for home on Friday. They’re just starting to open, so I’ll be taking pictures of them over the next few days as they get bigger.


One last meal:


Chicken potstickers and ponzu sauce for dipping, and a bowl of edamame. The frozen potstickers from Trader Joe’s are a staple in our freezer, and I like ponzu sauce so much more than just plain soy sauce.


The bottle is quite pretty too. But that doesn’t mean I never use soy sauce. In fact, I just bought a little sauce pot to fill with soy sauce and keep by the stove. It’s much prettier than the plain Kikkoman bottle with the red lid I was using, and a bargain at only $5 at the Japanese market.   


Are you hungry yet?

Read More

Thank you all for the best advice ever. How could I not order the shoes after 14 comments telling me to get them. And I even took my mom’s advice and thought long and hard about whether I would be able to wear them for a long time or if they would go out of style too quickly to be worth the price. BUT, since they aren’t really trendy, just unique, I thought I’d be able to wear them for years and years. Alas, there has been a tragic outcome to this footwear fairytale:

Dear Nordstrom.com: Camper’s size 41 does not equal size 11. Not even a small 11. I don’t think it’s actually more than a 10. A small 10 at that.

I was able to squeeze my feet in there for the 52 seconds it took to take this photo, but there’s no way I’ll be able to wear these puppies. It’s so sad. So, it’s back to the store they go. I guess I’m going sandal shopping instead. And I really do need some sandals. I’ll fill you all in on the adorable sandals I’m sure I’ll find, because despite this shoe tragedy, I’m still an optomist.

Mr. HeyLucy even thought the shoes were cute, and brought me tulips to cheer me up (okay, not really. He did bring me tulips, but they had nothing to do with the shoes, they were just on sale at the grocery store, and he knows I love them).

Next time, here at Hey Lucy, there will be knitting! and sewing! But for now, I leave you with a picture of Winston, who will be getting a haircut this week. The poor little guy seems to get hot quite easily. At least I think that’s why he jumps in the geese’s water dish and gets his feet wet, and then runs through the dirt so they’re good and muddy, and then doesn’t understand when I get mad at him for jumping on the bed.

I was trying to take a picture of that big white iris you see in the upper right corner, but someone kept getting in the way. 

Read More

I promise this post isn’t going to be only about dogs, but Keri said I could post a picture of Winston every day, if I wanted to, and odd dotty wanted to know more about the animal photography lecture I went to, and I aim to please. So first, here is Winston pouting again, because I’m not paying attention to him. That dog works himself into a frenzy when I get home from work every night. Actually, he gets nearly as excited to see me when we’ve been apart for five minutes. I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace if he’s in the house. Tomorrow I have to leave from work to go to my mother-in-law’s house and won’t be back until Friday. I’m a little worried about how he’s going to handle that. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to bring him along, but I don’t think his hyper-activeness will be appreciated since I’m going to take her in for cataract surgery, and he’s never been there before. I’m sure he’ll survive for two days, right?

As for animal photography, let me just start by saying that this is how most of my pet photos turn out.

It has it’s own sort of charm, I guess.

Here are some things I learned (and some of these really apply to any kind of photography, and a lot of them are really just common sense):

1. Be patient! Don’t expect to have a 15 or 20 minute photo session with your pet. In fact, just shoot for a minute or two at a time.

2. Let the animals get used to you and your camera. Just have your camera out and press the shutter a few times to get them used to the noise. This is helpful with especially shy or nervous animals, or animals who aren’t used to cameras. If you want to shoot your pet in a particular area, hang out in that area with some treats or toys so that they become interested in that area on their own. Then, once they are comfortable there, start taking pictures!

3. Try to always work in natural light. Animals, even more so than people, get terrible red-eye when you use your flash. If you must use a flash, then an off-camera flash with a diffuser is the best option.

4. Get down at your pet’s level. Trying to see things from their perspective makes for much more interesting shots. Also, try to capture their personality by photographing them doing what they do most. I’ve noticed that most of my photos of Lucy are taken when she comes to check out what I’m doing. I know cats are curious in general, but she always has to know what’s going on. I don’t have as many pictures of Petey, because he’s either sleeping or zooming around, bouncing off the walls, which brings me to the next tip:

5. Learn how to shoot in ‘Action’ mode. Unless I want a bunch of pictures of a sleeping Petey, I’m going to have to learn how to do this.

6. Take lots and lots of pictures! You’re sure to end up with a few good ones.

Any other ideas/tips would definitely be welcome, or links to your favorite pet photos. Please share in the comments!

And for you non-dog people, I also like taking pictures of flowers:

I also have a healthy eating report! This picture is not super great, but this meal was pretty tasty:

It’s Thai-style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth, and it’s from this book, which I mentioned before. It was super easy and delicious, and I will definitely be making it again. In fact, I think I’ll make it tonight, but with vegetables instead of fish. Another favorite from the same book is Greek Style Stuffed Peppers, which we’ve made quite a few times, but using ground turkey instead of ground beef. I’ve also been making a healthier version of Shepherd’s Pie, I’ll share that recipe next time, if anyone is interested.

Read More