walking the beach

other than me, the only things moving on the beach this morning were these birds. how wonderful to have such a vast expanse of sand and sea virtually to myself.

in the sand

found on a small sandbar, this tiny hole with tinier rocks clustered tightly inside. a gift from the sea for my camera lens.

long lost last weekend

off to the ocean, this time for a few days only. i'll see the sea, smell the salt and feel the sun. and make a memory to sustain me through another cold and snowy new england winter. this daylily has nothing to do with that - or with anything for that matter. i just like the way you can almost see the texture of the flower petals.

first day

today i begin my twenty-sixth year as a teacher of small children.
twenty five years of service...

the summer that wasn't

for all intents and purposes, summer is over. it was an uncommonly short hiatus from school, fraught with medical issues, family concerns, cancelled plans, and no time by the ocean. add to that the rainy, damp days and this summer was almost a bust. but now on to the glorious days of fall, with crisp, clear days and chill starlit nights - and the fervent hope that summer does not try to return in its place.

jewelweed

growing wild on the outskirts of the yard, this is one of my favorite of the "roadsidea" species. a late summer bloomer, it's aptly named since its flower gleams like an orange jewel in a profusion of green leaves. now, see those elongated fat seed pods? the slightest touch will abruptly burst the pod open - pop! - and send tiny wet seeds spitting out in all directions. find some and try it yourself. it's great fun - even better than popping bubble wrap!

toadstool

look! living proof of the rainy and damp summer it has been. this mushroom was enormous, glowing white-yellow by the side of the road amongst the greens and browns of the underbrush. it was tall and perfect and it looked like something from a storybook. like it should have fairies living under it or sprites dancing around it in the dew.

rain, rain...

go away.
please.

real live riddle

why did the chicken (and the guinea hen) cross the road?

what do you think?

a dead moth

found on the sidewalk under a maple in a nearby city. it was beautiful and it was huge! (click on the picture to make it big - it's on toilet tissue, see?) i really wanted to keep it and bring it to school, but a local shopkeeper became so excited when i shared it that i let her have it. her young son collects insects and aspires to become an entomologist. so i took this photo, then sent the moth to him with my email address. i want him to identify it. and i want to know he's as impressed with it as i was.

monarda

aka bee balm, tossed up on the back hill years ago while uprooting a now defunct herb garden. rather raggedy flowers sit atop too-thick stems that are sturdy and square as most mints are, and spread quickly as most mints do. as their common name suggests, these flowers attract bees - but they attract hummingbirds as well. so a better name for the plant might be hummingbird balm. say that three times fast. it sounds as funny as the flowers look.

nap time

this is the fan on the ceiling of the baby girl's nursery. directly under it, next to the crib, is where i dozed on the carpet this afternoon, waiting impatiently for the baby girl to wake from her nap so we could get back to the serious business of playing. ring-around-a-rosie, wooden puzzles, stacking cups, soft blocks, board books, balls - all those toys and playthings that grammies just love.

grey morning, grey feather

early this morning, as the tea water boiled, i ventured into the murky dampness that has been prevalent these weeks, searching for a photo. the best i could do: this turkey feather adorning a hanging plant.

on two feet

the best part of the summer was recently spent hanging out by day with the baby girl, who has learned to walk. what a thrill for a grammie to see!

pencils & pens

some people love to shop for shoes, others buy clothes, still others browse for jewelry or antiques. what excites me is office supplies. felt pens and mechanical pencils, file folders and colored markers, post-it notes in every size, shape, and color. in discount department stores, i meander down the stationery aisles whether i need anything or not. let me loose in staples or office depot and i can entertain myself for hours. the w. b. mason catalog is my wish book. today in the local drug store as i was perusing the back-to-school displays, there hanging on a hook was the new sharpie pen i had only read about - permanent, fine point, and guaranteed not to bleed through paper. and, as pitiful as i know this sounds, i swear, reader, as i stood there choosing my color i felt my heart leap in my chest, just a little.