Judy Vorfeld's Office Support Services http://www.ossweb.com/ Writing, editing, photography, technology, and Web development en Copyright 2008 Tue, 06 May 2008 17:43:35 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Dallon Arvidson needs service dog to help with Autism and Global Developmental Delay Photo of Dallon Arvidson, diagnosed with autism and Global Developmental Delay and seeking an autism service dogHi, my name is Dallon Arvidson and I am four years old. I live with my mom, dad and 2-year-old brother. Because my parents were concerned about my development, they had me tested and I was diagnosed with Autism and Global Developmental Delay in August 2007.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/dallon_arvidson_needs_service_1.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/dallon_arvidson_needs_service_1.html Disabilities Tue, 06 May 2008 17:43:35 -0700 Parents get stares, glares, and parenting advice. Photo of Dale Wooley, diagnosed with autism and seeking an autism service dogDale Wooley is just like any other eight-year-old boy. He loves to ride his bike, play video games and not a day goes by without him talking about his favorite thing - transformers. However, Dale’s life is different from yours and mine in so many ways; he has Autism. Day in and day out he struggles in our busy, stimulus-filled world, just trying to keep his behavior under control and behave “appropriately.”

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/parents_get_stares_glares_and.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/parents_get_stares_glares_and.html Disabilities Tue, 06 May 2008 17:40:24 -0700 Military family seeks autism service dog Photo of Thaine Wood, diagnosed with autism and seeking an autism service dog This is about our son Thaine Aaron Wood. Thaine is a handsome boy of nine who has Autism. Although he is nonverbal and has his "quirky" moments, he is one of the most loving kids you will ever meet.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/military_family_seeks_autism_s.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/military_family_seeks_autism_s.html Disabilities Tue, 06 May 2008 17:37:27 -0700 Buckeye Butterfly Another delightful trip to Desert Botanical Garden. I have 100 photos in a gallery but that's awfully long. Still, I have identified everything. Many, many butterfly close-ups and cactus blossoms, along with an occasional frog or flower or dragonfly. Here's a shot of the lovely Buckeye Butterfly taken on May 2.

More later...

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/buckeye_butterfly.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/05/buckeye_butterfly.html Personal Mon, 05 May 2008 16:43:31 -0700 Kudos to The Cat Tree Store Have you ever ordered something online and been thoroughly delighted with the customer service? I have, and my latest adventure reinforced my enthusiasm about online businesses. Sure, I checked them out first, and The Cat Tree Store seemed ideal for my intensely busy, athletic kitty, L'il Bear and his older brother, Shadow.

I ordered a kitty condo--free shipping--and received it within a week. L'il Bear and I proceeded to put it together. It took some effort, but it was fun, and truly easy to follow the visual instructions. Here are some pictures showing how L'il Bear helped me, and how much he and Shadow enjoy it...

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/kudos_to_the_cat_tree_store.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/kudos_to_the_cat_tree_store.html Customer Service Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:18:33 -0700 Neighborhood Blossoms How thrilling to be able to photograph blossoms in my own yard and neighborhood. One of my huge prickly pear cactuses has some stunning yellow blossoms, and my neighbors' red hibiscus is in full and radiant bloom. Couldn't resist.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/neighborhood_blossoms.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/neighborhood_blossoms.html Photography Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:18:11 -0700 Nature Photography: Butterfly I recently took this photo of a Julia butterfly on a daffodil at Desert Botanical Garden, and the Arizona Republic published it today in the Arizona Scenic section. However, it didn't seem to display as well as I would have liked. Perhaps too much of the background wasn't focused, but then that's the way it's supposed to be. At any rate, I played around with the photo to see if I could give it a bit more definition. First: the original.

And the touched up photo is here:

What do you think?

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/nature_photography_butterfly.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/nature_photography_butterfly.html Photography Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:23 -0700 Monroe snow defeats plans for barbeque Oh my gosh! My daughter-in-law was just here enjoying the sunshine with me. She returned to the Seattle area to kind of bleak weather, but there was a promise of the spring to come.

She and Ron got the barbeque out on their back patio, hoping to put it to good use, but their plans changed today when it began snowing. And then some.

Another time...hope springs eternal in Western Washington!

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/monroe_snow_defeats_plans_for.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/monroe_snow_defeats_plans_for.html Personal Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:18:46 -0700 Beavertail Prickly Pear Blossoms Oh, joy! I have a beautiful cactus plant right outside my office window...a transplant, thanks to my intrepid brother, David Crook. This year, the Beavertail Prickly Cactus is in full bloom, and I'm getting good practice at shooting this beautiful but difficult color to replicate. Enjoy!


I call the photo above "Pollen Paradise"


Above is a traditional photo of a blossom, and below is a redigitized version.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/beavertail_prickly_pear_blossoms.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/beavertail_prickly_pear_blossoms.html Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:00:08 -0700 Meet Sundance, my newest granddog! My Colorado family has a new puppy, Sundance. They lost their beloved Max recently, and while Sundance can never replace Max, he brings joy and delight to Shannon, Jody, and Roger. Here's a picture of the little (?) guy...

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/meet_sundance_my_newest_grandd.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/meet_sundance_my_newest_grandd.html Personal Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:23:19 -0700 Aloha, John Vorfeld How do we describe the life of someone who has just died? I’ve been wrestling with that question since my grandson, John, died in March. He was many things to many people, and if I could say anything profound, it would be that John’s gentle nature, full of warmth and intellect, touched many lives. He will always be a standard bearer for kindness. People from many generations and locations will miss him deeply. He touched our lives.

When I married Jack Vorfeld, John was a little guy. Talk about cute. And even as a child, he got involved in community affairs and received an award for his big heart. I’m going to include a few photos of John as a boy, because that’s when I knew him the best. I’ll follow with his obituary.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/aloha_john_vorfeld.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/aloha_john_vorfeld.html Personal Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:44:01 -0700 Cactus Blossom Photo in Arizona Republic One of the many things I like about the Arizona Republic is that is asks its readers to participate. I'm part of a group that responds to some of its surveys. And I submit photos, along with many other photographers. Yesterday morning, the Republic published a photo I took Tuesday. Here it is: a beaver tail prickly pear blossom from one of my own cactuses:

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/cactus_blossom_photo_in_arizon.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/cactus_blossom_photo_in_arizon.html Photography Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:25:47 -0700 Photography: March Desert Shots The weekend of March 29-30 found me and Martha Retallick with cameras in hand at Desert Botanical Gardens, Sun City Sun Bowl Rose Garden, and White Tanks Regional Park. Here are a few that I took:

Breathtaking hedgehog cactuses dotted the landscape as we hiked Ford Canyon Trail in the White Tanks.

The Sun Bowl roses graced the southwest corner of the Sun Bowl and provided a delightful hodgpodge of colors and shapes.

Desert Botanical Garden provided many fabulous photo opportunities. Here is a Julia butterfly having a brief respite.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/photography_march_desert_shots.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/photography_march_desert_shots.html Photography Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:37:36 -0700 Does your special needs child need a service dog? Do you have a child who might benefit from owning a service dog, yet you are skeptical? Perhaps I can shed some light on this critical issue. My daughter, Brittany just turned eight, and we received her dog from 4 Paws for Ability just before she turned six.

While Britt doesn't have autism, she is pretty much mute, but with good receptive language. She also has terrible flashbacks and dissociates and is in a constant state of fear and/or panic. Some of her behaviors are similar to those on the autism spectrum. She suffers especially in three areas:

1. Complex PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).
2. RAD (reactive attachment disorder).
3. SPD (sensory processing disorder) from some severe pre-adoptive abuse and neglect.

Her dog, Max, is called a multipurpose service dog. His brother Jack is in service as an Autism Assistance Dog.

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/does_your_special_needs_child.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/04/does_your_special_needs_child.html Disabilities Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:32:44 -0700 Have a blessed Easter

]]> http://www.ossweb.com/2008/03/have_a_blessed_easter.html http://www.ossweb.com/2008/03/have_a_blessed_easter.html Personal Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:11:17 -0700