Week 50-52: Ginger & Sophie, Christmas and Year End Wrap Up

Hello to all who follow and read my blog!  Yes it has been a few weeks since I have blogged.  Not that I planned, really, to go on a social media fast, it just kind of turned out that way.  I stayed away from Facebook and Blogger.  My Kindle has sat quietly and my tablet has been used mostly for music and reading.   Not that my camera hasn't been busy.  It does not go far from me. 

So for those who do follow the blog or have seen Ginger's posts on Facebook, you then know we have a cute little dog named Sophie.  She is very loved and a very content puppy.  Her favorite place to sleep is on Ginger's pillow on the couch wrapped around her head.  No lie, it is about the cutest thing to watch.  Ginger will lay down and she will run up and wrap around her head and fall asleep.  She is does not go far from Mommy when we are home.

My favorite

Next to Mommy

Caught me Photographing

So a couple of weeks ago Ginger's mood hit a downturn into depression.  The nature of bipolar really.  With the change of having a puppy, suddenly we have more responsibility and a bit of a loss of freedom.  That hit Ginger hard.  Any change is hard for someone with bipolar but then came the problem of everyone having an opinion on how to train and raise Sophie and they did not necessarily align with how I wanted to raise her.  So I wanted to explain a little bit about bipolar and hyperspirituality.  What happens in a bipolar mind, especially in a depressive state, is that when there is a conflict someone is right and someone is wrong and in hyperspirituality that translates into someone is right and someone is in sin.  In Ginger's normal state she can process this and realize that that is a distorted truth.  In a depressive state she cannot.  We have a saying, when Ginger is in the throes of bipolar trying to reason with her is like trying to explain quantum physics to a rabbit.  So regardless of what you are saying, even if it is right, if there is a difference of opinion, she does not trust her own opinion and so tries to latch on who is right and wrong.  This has the effect of worsening the depression.  Because now there is a conflict between people she loves, there is a wall between them, they will stop loving her, or each other.  It is a horrible agony that I have watched her suffer thru before. 

So I got a panic phone call a couple of weeks ago while I was at work in Lindale at Rebecca's.  Sophie was being a puppy (she is teething right now, biting fingers and toes) and Ginger did not know how to control her.  This shot her anxiety up and her depression worsened.  She began getting conflicting views on how to handle Sophie and this did nothing but shoot her lower.  When I got home I was able to get Ginger into a calmer state.  I have always told Ginger not to make major decisions in this state.   Let me state that no one was purposely causing Ginger's depression and anxiety to worsen, in fact people were trying to help in their own way.  And I had to process that and realize that.  But Sophie is our dog.  And Ginger is my wife.  And I went into a very protective mode with Ginger.  I always do when her bipolar flares.  I become her caretaker, her protector, and I do so fiercely.  I knew if I blogged a couple of weeks ago I might speak out of that fierceness.  So I decided to put my efforts into taking care of Ginger and postpone the blog.  I have always said that Ginger comes before anything.  I also postponed any changes to how we were raising Sophie until Ginger was in a more stable state.  Like it or not, it became more important to take care of my wife.  And as my Dad said, I am almost 50 years old and it is not rocket science.  My Dad really helped me during this time (and he pretty much did not know it!)

Ginger was counting down the days to Christmas.  It is on our white board.  Interestingly she stopped counting.  We did not realize this until she got better and noticed the board.  Time stops for Ginger.  So what is the solution you ask?

Communication.  This is a strong area for Ginger and I.  We talk to each other.  Even in the midst of the battle with bipolar, she was able to articulate how she felt.  And I was able to help her get to the root of the issues that were causing the depression.  And she trusts me.  Because of her short term memory loss she relies heavily on my memory.  The other solution is to communicate with others (hence this blog) that if you know that Ginger is not feeling good, please do not try to tell Ginger how she needs to do something.  She is very sensitive about the fact that she has memory loss.  I am not saying do not talk to Ginger.  I am not saying to not email her, call her, or text her.  She is an extrovert, she loves all of that.  But if you talk to her and she seems confused or looks like she is getting upset for goodness sake stop talking about the stressor and talk to me.  Because when it comes to decisions in our house, Ginger relies on me.  Trust me she is the neck that turns the head of the household (me).  If we need advise we have been more than willing to seek advise and wisdom.  When I changed job's I sought wisdom from several sources.  I have even researched on how to take care of Sophie.  And I have a couple of good friends who have extensive knowledge of animals. 

By the time Christmas Eve had gotten here, Ginger was doing much better. I was able to take a picture at Rebecca's that I absolutely loved:

These are the kind of shots I love out of my newest lens. 

Christmas was a lot of fun.  One of my favorite gifts was artistic:

Even though my niche is realism I find abstract and surreal art fascinating.  We actually use this as a double coaster (or I should say I do!).   I got Ginger a lot of frames and wall art including one in which I mounted some fairie lights in to light up the words:

My favorite was at the top of the blog.  I love us.  It just says it all.  I love Ginger, I love Sophie, I love our life.  It is not perfect, it can be messy, but we are perfect for each other.  Ginger is my soulmate and life with her is just, well, amazing. 

So as my second 52 week challenge comes to a close and I get ready to start another one (yes, another is coming!)  I have been able to look into the directory of my Challenge 2017 and find a few favorites. 

This was one of my technical best shots and just one of my all time favorites. 

One of my favorite shots of Ginger.  She loves her hair curly and she is wearing her favorite jeans!  And I am truly blessed to be with her. 

By far my favorite insect shot.  The mirrored reflection is real. 

This was my favorite set up shot of the year.  I had spent a couple of years figuring this shot out.  It was also one of the funnest.

My favorite Photoshop collage.  I spent a lot of time teaching myself Photoshop and this was the culmination of all the reading, watching, mistakes and triumphs.

 My favorite black and white.

So then what was my favorite shot?  Well, I have Michael to thank for that.  He wanted a nature shot brought back from Gatlinburg.  So when we went up into the mountains, on the way there I had just seconds to take this shot.  Ginger was worried I was going to fall into the water.  It is not completely technically perfect but the ambience of the shot and the beauty of it makes it my favorite of the year.

Happy New Year Everyone!  Thank you all for your love and support in 2017!  Here is to 2018!

Baa