spring snow

Out the window early this morning, tiny styrofoam beads of snow, covering the grass. too bad you can't see it in this picture because i sure could! as i drove away later on, the snow blew away from the car, clearing the windshield without even using the wipers. and it was gone by nine o'clock or so. it was that kind of snow.

more pink

this time in red maple flowers, appearing more rosy and beautiful against the brilliant blue spring sky. tomorrow, ice pellets and maybe even some flakes of snow. fickle new england weather. 

emergence

never have i raked out the gardens quite so early in the year. but there they were, hidden beneath dried grasses and leaves - tiny green (and pink!) things growing! daffodils are budded, crocus are in flower, and forsythia appears ready to burst forth into sunny yellow bloom. i know i take my chances uncovering things this early. other years, we have had snow in april. but this year, it just doesn't seem likely to happen.

by the lake

when the weather starts to warm, i go to check the nearby the lake and catch the day when the ice goes out. i was there this evening, and it looks like that day is very close. one day of good stiff wind and this winter's ice will break up and be gone. in the meantime, my favorite lakeside tree is in flower - very early this year, like everything else green and growing.

venus & jupiter...

...shining in the evening twilight through the trees.
this will happen again in may of 2013, but won't be quite as spectacular as it's been this month.

st. patrick's day

bound and determined to find something green and growing on this saint patrick's day morning - and i did. they're tiny, but they're there!

may your troubles be less,
and your blessings be more.
and nothing but happiness,
come through your door.

almost here

days like today i love. overcast and damp, the world smells like earth. snow melt coupled with hidden frost creates mud everywhere. birds sing, tiny moths appear at the windows. and by the roadside, i spot pussy willows, the first indication that the earth is waking up and things are again beginning to grow.

march 12 of 12: rush hour

i know 12 of 12s are supposed to chronicle a day, the 12th of each month. but i wanted to see if i could fit twelve pictures into one hour's time. and what better hour than the busiest one of the day - between waking up and getting out the door. here i go!

this is the first weekday morning after the start of daylight saving time. it was so difficult to get up - after weeks of growing light, it's dark in the morning again. the first thing i see after i roll out of bed - the moon, still in the sky. and even some stars. it's way too early to be up. 

i hit the computer's power button on my way to the kitchen, drag a brush through my hair to get it out of my eyes so i can see. i'll be back with the first cup of coffee to check email, weather, and the overnight news. oh - and the iditarod, which i have been following closely since it began on the 3rd. 

these tulips fairly glow in the overhead light of the kitchen. they're such a vibrant, cheery color and i'm glad i bought them over the weekend. this close to spring, i'm so encouraged to see things green or in bloom. 

off to the bathroom with coffee. time for make-up, even though i'd rather use the time for something else. sometimes i don't know why i bother with this routine. i think i look the same with make up as i do without it. some morning i'm going to do only the right half my face and see if anyone even notices. 

hair products. three of them. and i need them all. 

back to the kitchen for a second cup of coffee. i made two so i could take one for the ride. but my circadian rhythms must be out of sync with the time change. i'm not waking up well and i really need this extra cup now. 

when i dry my hair, i hang it over my head and blow it dry it upside down. as i do this, i am close enough to the tile floor to be able to see every minuscule piece of lint or dust or wood shaving. see them? every morning, i stop working my hair for a moment and blow these offending particles off into the adjoining room where they don't look as glaring on the wood floor. and i clean it up later in the day. 

pocket stuff. i always have pockets, have to have them. and i know exactly which item goes in which pocket. 

the morning darkness surprises me again and i need to turn on another light to be sure i wear shoes that match. i haven't had to do that in weeks. 

a perfect banana for an on-the-go breakfast. it takes a long time to get them like this, all freckled but not soggy. i'll be eating a lot of bananas in the next few days. 

lunch, packed and ready to go. all last week, i took soup because i'd been sick. but today, it's a yogurt day! i guess i'm feeling better!

and i'm out the door, on time, wearing a jacket instead of a coat. i stand on the step for a moment, breathing the morning air, listening to birds really sing. for the first time, it almost smells and sounds like spring is in the air! 

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surprise snow

woke up very early this morning to snow falling outside the window. snow! either i wasn't paying attention to the forecast or this storm wasn't predicted. but i watched a bit, mesmerized, reminded of what winter really is supposed to look like. then i fell back asleep, a fine thing to do on a snowy saturday morning.

the beauty of a telephoto lens

finally, i got a new compact flash memory card for my "good" camera. in anticipation of an important photo shoot tonight, i took some test shots late last night, just to make sure the new card worked. and here's what i photographed. yuck!

i know the place needs cleaning, but i swear i never noticed this mess. but how could i not notice! so i just got up and went to look - and, even knowing where it is, i still can't see it! the camera can, but not these old eyes. spring cleaning this year should prove very interesting!

codeine dreams

a few minutes ago, i was jolted awake by the most terrifying nightmare, one in which i was sleeping and was jolted awake - and i can't even go into more detail than that. but as i stood trying to still my racing heart and get my bearings, i looked out and saw this image of nighttime tranquility. in an effort to find reality and lose the dream, i post this for you.

sounds at dawn

morning sounds, soothing, quiet. 

wood pops and shifts in the stove

far-off crows call to one other

tap tap on the keyboard

and faint ringing in my ears

a muffled thud in the far room, perhaps a mouse 

refrigerator hums awake

an icicle releases from eaves

teakettle whispers, hisses, rumbles

a jay squawks for seed

and the plow guy roars up the driveway

apologia

a rough week here, with a cold and a cough that just won't quit. the most i do is dress, drink tea, lay around, snooze during courtroom drama shows, and start thinking about bed around twilight. i have been unmotivated, unproductive, and uninspired, which is how i get when i am unwell.

i missed blogging about leap day. leap day, a once-every-four-years occurrence! i wanted to, i thought about it, but fell asleep trying to come up with some creative angle. and today is the first real storm of the winter; we haven't had this much snow in about a year. and i have nothing clever or poignant to say about it, either. 

so here's a titmouse at the feeder at the height of the storm. it's so uninteresting, i almost don't even want to post it. but i felt like i needed something visual with which to apologize. it was either this or a bad shot of the red squirrel in the lilac, the one who's been running rampant under the house, who's been craftily avoiding the have-a-heart trap, no matter what it's baited with. but that's another story, for another more creative day.