the peaceful saturday

nature is amazingly calm in new england this morning and has turned the landscape breathtakingly beautiful. it's hard to imagine that it's created such turmoil on other parts of the earth. through live streams and twitter feeds and facebook messages, the world waits and watches, holding its collective breath, afraid of what nature will do next. sending prayers for chile and safe thoughts and wishes for those in the pacific islands. and giving thanks for the peaceful, safe place in which i find myself today.

am i blue?

this is what happens when you're babysitting and you give a two year old blueberries in a cup for dessert. we had to do some serious, extended water play in the sink to get rid of these stains!

at the grill

dead heads from last summer's black-eyed susans mingle with some unknown flora - maple saplings or grapevine, perhaps. this captured after dark, in the back, as i was grilling dinner while i still can. a big snowstorm is forecasted. there'll be no more cooking outside then.

snowman

this sunny saturday afternoon spent playing in the snowy yard with the little girl. here's our snowman, complete with carrot nose, pine cone buttons, and red scarf. all placed under the direction of the little girl, who hugged him briefly upon completion, then moseyed off in search of even more embellishments.

for the birds & more

remember my skepticism surrounding the squirrel-proof birdfeeder i got for christmas? well, five weeks later, i have to admit that it really does work. our resident squirrels have not even attempted to raid the new feeder. because they're too busy raising havoc at the old one.

pancake tuesday

a snow day keeps me at home today, the day before lent begins, so i can indulge before fasting and abstaining begins tomorrow. pancake tuesday, today called in some locales, and i think about them, actually gather ingredients to make them. but in the end, it seems too big a splurge. i settle for blueberries in cereal. pancakes will have to wait until after easter.

make-do chart

when you have a grandchild around, there's never a dull moment. the little girl surprised us all yesterday by announcing she wanted to use the toilet - and she did, three times! she wants to put stickers on her "potty chart", she says, because she did it. i try to explain that the potty chart is not here, it's at her house. but she used the toilet and she wants her stickers! so we improvise and use labels from fruit - bananas, apples, pears - placing them on the refrigerator calendar. works for me and works fine for a two and a half year old who's learning to be a big girl!

valentine's day

all you need is love...

and a little chocolate now & again.

happy heart day.

up close & natural

they're baaaack!

...and they're even closer to the house this time!

turkeys! a whole flock of them right outside the back door! i got quite a few shots before my flash went off and they scattered to the woods, moving quicker than i thought any turkeys could!

drive by

in the morning on my way to work i pass kids at the ends of their roads, waiting for a school bus to come and pick them up. little groups of children, standing together but alone. i don't see them interact, just stand with hands in pockets and earbuds in ears, waiting. perhaps after i pass by, one will ask another how they are or what's going on with them. pat them on the back or give them a high five. smile or wink. i never see it happen. but i sure hope it does.

big birds

for months i have seen their tracks around the compost pile and under the bird feeders, big, distinct forked marks all over the snow. weekends i look for them, but they have never materialized. but today, the long line of turkeys finally came parading down the hill from the woods and raided the compost as we watched from inside. at least twelve of them, big fat birds with iridescent feathers glinting in the sunday sun.

lighter later

on my way home, five-thirty pm, and it's still light enough to see down the valley and get off a grainy photo. in five weeks, daylight savings time will be back. i know it's way too soon, i know winter is not even close to being over, but i still find myself dreaming of spring. already.

they say it's your birthday...

happy birthday tomorrow to my sweet southern sister, patti! i laughed out loud this morning when i was handed my drive-thru tea. look! isn't this a hoot? you and our favorite coffee place have the same birthday!

"stand up and tell us how old you are, or buy the house a drink!" a dunkaccino perhaps...

happy birthday to you!

2 february

candlemas.

groundhog's day.

cross-quarter day between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. halfway to spring.

the first day i hear birdsong in the early morning.

and, at last, the premiere of the final season of LOST.

a great day coming!