books

here sits the pile of books i really want to read. ive even started some of them. i honestly do love to read and i always have. but do i do it regularly? no. too busy too tired too distracted by other things. do i miss reading? oh yes. so in an effort to get myself back in the reading habit i have added another component to this blogs sidebar - what im reading. see it there on the right? i am reading that book and i will read the others. hows that for positive thinking? just know that it may take me a while to get through them all.

a walk in the woods

early spring is a good time for such a walk. plants and trees are growing and in bloom but pesky black flies and mosquitoes are not yet out. but this spring has been an odd one. my walk today proved that. the insects are indeed not out. but neither are the wildflowers - trillium, lady slippers, canada lily, wild oats. the most impressive thing i saw on my walk was the creek coursing down the hillside - and this very rotten tree trunk.

a bloomin' shame

smack in the middle of the vegetable garden the first of the daffodils are almost ready to bloom. but these are old bulbs, the ones that have been coming back every april for years. and what of the new bulbs, those planted last fall? the fifty plus jonquils and daffodils scattered at the base of trees and in front of rock walls? thin green spiky leaves are all thats showing. i am not holding out hope for any buds there. what a pity. theyre not even remarkable enough for a photo.

leftovers

the bird feeders have come down for the season. if theyre left out thin and hungry bears will raid them looking for food after a long winters nap. in the process they could destroy not only the feeders but the poles theyre on and quite possibly the trees theyre near. all that and be really close to the house. its not worth the gamble to feed birds through spring. so when this suet cake is gone its gone. and this woodpecker may be the one to get the last of it.

crabapple tree

the day following the wedding last fall s&s planted their crabapple in the yard. since they dont live here ive felt somewhat responsible for its care. when it was planted it was october so the tree was of course headed into dormancy. in winter the apples coated with ice and eventually shriveled up. one day in spring robins made a meal of them. but at no time since it was planted has there been any overt indication that the tree was either alive or dead. until now. buds are starting to swell and leaves are just beginning to appear. i cant wait to see how it finally flowers.

the last of the snow

this is the spot in the yard that never gets sun. so its the last place for the snow to melt. in other years i have shoveled this particular area bare and tossed the snow into the street to hasten its departure. but this year natures doing the trick. with the temperatures weve been having im guessing this patch will be gone by mid afternoon. goodbye winter.

sweep!

in a three game series the red sox have swept the yankees. to sweeten the wins last nights game featured an incredible sequence of four home runs in a row. how euphoric is that.

jeepers creepers - peepers!!

the penultimate sign of spring - peepers! small frogs that reappear in the spring after a winter of hibernation under bark or logs. they lay eggs now and their mating call is at times deafening. and although ive been listening all week long tonight was the first time i heard them. play the movie. not much to look at certainly - but just listen!!

local color

finally the hardware store in town has pansies for sale. rows and rows of these sunny little multicolored faces waiting to be bought and taken home and planted in pots. so i did.

nuthatch

its not too often that this little guy sits like this. normally hes hopping up and down on the branches of the lilac sometimes upside down. he flits to the evergreen and back time after time. but this morning he just sat very quietly on the trunk for a few moments. just looking here and there taking in the sights and sounds of a warm spring morning.

more water

recent rains have left water where there previously was none. across the roads. in the woods. running down hillsides. look carefully and youll see the image of the kitchen window wreath and all reflected here in the lawn.

virginia

so hard to blog tonight about the trivial and mundane - weather, spring, the cat - when such tragedy has taken place on a college campus. i think of my own students the same age as those dead. promising bright happy lives cut short in such a swift senseless brutal act. and a dark mind so disturbed with an intent that will never be understood. never. i wonder - did teachers notice him when he was a little boy? did they listen to him and ask questions? were they gentle with him? did someone bring joy to his life? make him smile and laugh? dealing with students of all ages i pray that i have the good sense and the skills and that i make the time to try in some small way to touch the lives of those kids i meet.

water water everywhere

not an out of focus picture. just blurred by torrential rain thats all. the storm continued all day and created streams in streets downed branches covering roads and gales that whipped the tops of tall pines. the big army trenchcoat and my sturdiest umbrella were no match for the elements and around mid day i finally gave up trying to stay dry. tonight the rain has diminished and the air is finally still. a peaceful night for rest following a sleepless one with howling wind and pounding sleet all through the night.

nor'easter

what a difference a day makes. and even the few hours since i took this shot of the blueberry bushes covered with snow from our third winter storm this month. tonight the wind has picked up and as i write the sleet starts to batter the nearby window. the lilacs are so laden with heavy snow i worry that limbs may snap from the weight and the wind. its turning into one of those nights thats not fit for man nor beast. a tea by the fireplace in your coziest slippers kind of night. in mid-april. imagine that.

beginning to bud

i dont know what sort of tree this is. a maple perhaps. its pretty nondescript in summer. just a nice green leafy tree. but springtime brings a special distinction. every year its one of the first around to show any signs of new growth. and there it is. see those tiny stamens? those little anthers? this tree will soon flower and then leaf out. first in the area to hint at summer.

quote

"like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops." -kurt vonnegut (1922-2007). so it goes.

the ride home

they let us go home early. the afternoon stretches ahead of me. i do believe ill take a nap. its that kind of day.

take warning, sailors

red sun in morning, sailors take warning,
red sun at night, sailor's delight.
nothing looks delightful about this sunrise. another winter storm, headed to new england. should be here in a few hours. doesnt anyone remember that its supposed to be spring by now?

surprises in the compost

every spring something suddenly pops out growing in the compost pile. a volunteer if you will. some potted something that was tossed there after its flower went by and its leaves died back. one of those spring bulbs thats not supposed to come back because its been forced. yet there it is the next year. once it was a tulip. last year it was tiny little daffodils. and this year its this hyacinth. i know it will flower white and have a heady fragrance. i remember it well from last spring.

jellybean monday

today is jellybean monday, the day after easter sunday....so named because of the sugar content in the girl and other small folk on this day. granted that was a long time ago but isn't it a good name still? from the aforementioned girl we have black jellybeans my favorite. licorice flavor - the only ones ill eat. and part of the appeal is that my tongue gets all black when i do. wouldn't that have made an interesting photo!

easter sunday

the balloon says it all!!
happy easter!

holy saturday

tomorrow is easter. more importantly tonight is the night before easter. and on this night something magical happens. every year in the middle of the night an easter balloon mysteriously appears tied to my car. and always with a few carrots dangling from the end of the ribbon. i have tried my best to find out the identity of this "bunny". ive asked friends and neighbors. ive actually accused people. ive stayed up late. ive checked for footprints in the snow. one year i sat at the window all night and got up only once - and just for a minute - and when i came back the balloon was there. this balloon has appeared every night before easter year after year after year for at least twenty years now. maybe more. oh except for the year i was staying at a small inn in the english countryside on easter. then the balloon was delivered to my table at easter brunch!! truly! so tonight i wait, certain that in the morning my easter gift will be there. well, pretty sure it will be there. i think it will. i hope...

#11

the unanticipated photo op. flocks of robins have been around the crabapple all morning long.

the unexpected snow day

the top 10 things i love about this being a snow day:
#10: the excitement in my colleagues voice when she called at 5:30
#9: sleeping in
#8: no meetings
#7: nothing planned and all sorts of extra time
#6: the second cup of coffee - and maybe a third
#5: pjs and no make-up
#4: music all day instead of just in the car
#3: the anticipation of a nap on the couch
#2: time to read my novel
#1: being able to watch dice-k make his pitching debut at 2pm

evening song

last night i went out at dusk and listened to something i haven't heard since last fall. something that only happens when the weather is warm. birds high up in the pines were singing before they settled down for the night. quiet lazy calls to each other that echo and diminish and finally stop for the night. heres the video so you can hear. i hope.

keeping the home fries burning

sorry. i couldnt resist. fyi: ive been trying to upload that video and i still cant do it. i will persist. in the meantime we may all have to be content with still photos. and really bad puns.

oh phooey

so here i am about ready to branch out and expand my horizons (and yours) and upload not a photo but a video! or at least try to. i took one this evening and was looking forward to sharing. but the site is down and i cant upload the video. perhaps those are the ups and downs of blogging.

opening day

today baseball season begins. this years schedule stretches endlessly through spring then summer and into fall. today is much like new years day - or the first day of school - or the day after your birthday. only better. its a day filled with so much hope, so much promise for the future. play ball.