march 12 of 12: winter's end

here's my 12 of 12 for the month of march, the result of a weekend outing looking for hopeful signs of change in nature. 

..............

snow is melting rapidly! where the snowblower has cleared storm after storm, there are paths of wet and flattened grass, banked with still untouched snow. it's good to walk on solid ground again. 

furniture long buried begins to emerge. there's a bucket of holly and pine on the table in there some where!

some things emerge from the snow and you wonder how long they've been buried and how they got there in the first place! as the snow melts away, all sorts of strange and wonderful things, covered for months, show up in melted banks or on muddy patches. one year i found a small pile of loose change!

i'm not sure why this happens. snow melts away from the trunks of trees, forming these little circular depressions. they get larger and wider and soon, forest debris from fall will show itself again around the tree. this is the reason i like to plant spring-flowering bulbs at the base of trees. it's one of the first places to melt!

finally, back country roads are clear down to the pavement - or to the mud if they're dirt. either way, it's a lot easier driving the scenic route these days!

but all's not rosy on these types of road. spring signage appears, warning motorists of the perils involved with driving them. bumps and potholes and fissures in the pavement. huge puddles and water across the road. there are routes around here that are so bad, folks avoid them strictly because of the stories that have been told year after year!

lining these roads are tall banks of snow, covered with dirt from the road or from the sanding of icy spots. no more snow comes to dust them white again so, as the melting occurs, more and more grime is revealed. not until the banks have completely melted will the dirt be blown back into woods and yards. right now, it looks really awful. 

in the snow that remains, rivulets of water make their way to low spots or culverts. tiny rivers carving their way to an outlet. 

and streams where there were none! as snow from above melts, water cascades down from the mountains and high hills, seeking the same sort of outlet. the sound of the water is uplifting, a spring song for my winter-weary soul. 

water collects everywhere these days! this is one of the numerous puddles in the yard and those brown things floating on it are alive!! i wonder if they may be snow fleas, one of the first insects to hatch as winter ends. i've never seen them in water like this though, only out leaping and dancing on snowbanks in the warm sunshine. 

the last of the ice dams finally clears the roof, making such a racket that i hear the sound far down road as i'm taking these pictures! and i knew instantly what it was without even looking!

finally, buds. they're tiny but they're coming. at long last. 

time change

in november, right around the time we new englanders returned our clocks to eastern standard time, i wove this string of miniature lights through fall garland on my fireplace mantle. i expected they might look garish, given the antiquity of the place. but they looked oddly cozy and homey, especially as the evenings got darker earlier. in december i put up this pine garland, keeping the lights, of course. after all, it was the darkest time of the year. come january, i took down the santas and christmasy things but convinced myself that i could leave the lights and garland because it all looked wintery and goodness knows there was still darkness to ward off. but now, with tonight's return to daylight saving time, it's fitting to dismantle it. in a small but significant way, the twinkling points have lifted me through darkness that will soon be pretty much over.  

buy-buy

i hate to shop. i get confused and claustrophobic in stores, especially the big ones. i can never find what i want. and, in this neck of the woods, i have to drive too-long distances to purchase many of the things that i need.

ah, but online shopping - that's different! the ability to quickly find exactly the items i'm looking for, however obscure. so many choices. shopping in the daytime or nighttime, in pajamas or sweats. even coupons! but my favorite aspect of buying online is tracking the packages. seeing when my purchases leave the company, what cities and states they travel through in transit, what time they arrive and leave destinations, what day they'll be delivered to me - this is the part of the shopping experience that intrigues and fascinates me the most! perhaps all this speaks to my age, me a child of the sears-roebuck catalog. to be able to have such buying power amazes me still - and to have it work so well! the only drawback i see to online shopping is the yards and yards of bubble wrap that come in many packages. even though it's fun to pop, even though it's mostly air, it's still too much plastic for me. the only thing that's worse? styrofoam peanuts!

comes the ice

here's the (other) down side of all the snow we've had this winter: all the ice we're having now that snow is melting or being washed away! although this may look much like a skating rink, it is not. it's a field that runs through the flats between the distant hills and the unseen river. crops grow there in summer, deer run in fall, but now that it's getting close to spring, it's just a huge expanse of ice. 

and in the woods this morning, droplets of water are frozen in time, glistening in the early sunlight. not a great shot - it was actually quite magical. you should have been there...

nightlight

snow has melted off or been washed from the solar lights. and they're finally getting enough sunlight to stay lit at night! so cheery to see at dusk as i pass by a window. 

thoughts on home

i so love to spend quiet time at home. to sit in a sunny window, to read, to listen to music, to putter, to reorganize, to clean, to nap, to dream... sometimes i worry that i may be frittering away these days of my life, that i should get out and go, go, go while i still can, that i can stay home years from now when i'm old and infirm. but these tranquil days at home are rejuvenating somehow, and shore me up for the busy, fast-paced days that i know will inevitably come again.

march sun

on impluse this morning i threw open a window, leaned out, and basked in the march 1st sun for as long as my pajama-clad arms would endure. the air felt heavenly after having the place closed up for so long. even though some of our worst new england weather has come this month,  there's something inherently hopeful about march. the slant of the sun, the song of the birds, a shift in the wind - all make me keenly aware that we're finally on the down side of winter and that much closer to spring. 

ranunculus & more snow

the weekend flowers, purchased yesterday at a break in the snowy weather. thanks to the bride who could not use them, i have a vibrant pink spot in an otherwise white and weary weekend, strategically positioned so i can focus on them rather than on the scenery beyond. more snow today, more tomorrow. someone once commented that i don't like snow, when in fact, i do like it. i love snow. just not so much of it for so long, that's all.

superlatives

even my morning coffee speaks to the endless winter we're having here in new england. and for cold, frosty mornings like this one, this coffee is perfect. wicked perfect. 

the gift of snow

another snowstorm and another snow day, home from work. in the long run, these days set me back. in a few months time, i will be questioning their worth. but short term, they are such lovely gifts. an entire day, spontaneously devoid of any responsibility and duty, with which to do whatever i choose. these were my thoughts as i gazed out the back window, coffee mug in hand, watching the snow settle on the blueberry bushes while, at the table, the little girl softly hummed as she drew.

through the trees

good morning, moon.

and good night, stars.

chip off the old block

a photo from a few weeks back shows the little girl's form with a camera, taking a picture of me taking a picture of her. due to this stomach bug, i have this weekend avoided contact with the little girl and her mother. i'm missing them both.

in preschool, they have been teaching french. counting. names of animals. that sort of thing. when we talk tonight, via skype, i ask the little girl about it and she obliges me by counting to dix. but when i press her for other french terms, she is done performing. and she tells me to arrête.  so i quickly change the subject, if only to make the call - and the fun - last a little longer. 

hiatus

three days of stomach bug coupled with two days of sleep puts a damper on both one's photography and one's blogging. the sleep cycle is beginning to acclimate itself but i still feel at loose ends, trying to prioritize all that i did not do. today is a stay-at-home and catch-up kind of day, that begins with oatmeal in the sunshine. i think it's time - but time will tell.

february 12 of 12: heart day

well, this was to be my 12 of 12 for the month of february - twelve of the many heart items i have around the house. but, try as i might, i just couldn't make them interesting enough to warrant description or narrative. so here they are, morphed into a post of photos only. a heart mosaic, if you will. for you, on valentine's day.

cookies!

when i learned to make them, the only way you could get toll house cookies was by creaming the butter & sugar in a big bowl, stirring in the eggs & vanilla, then mixing in the flour and baking soda and finally, folding in the chocolate chips. but now look: cookie dough all prepared and available in tubes for slicing, tubs for scooping, and arrays for  breaking off perfect portions. then why am i still creaming and stirring and mixing and folding, just as i always have?

decisions, decisions

for years, i've waited for the iphone. when it was first released a few years back, i debated breaking my contract to switch carriers, but did not. due to poor reception in these parts, i need to stick with the carrier i have. and now, at last, they have the iphone! i was up this morning early and online, looking at prices, sizes, and delivery dates, dreaming. and that's when it occurred to me that i might want to wait...not be so hasty. my ipod touch is only two months old and it can do everything an iphone can do (except phone!) apple always rolls out its new iphone features in june. only four months away. so i wait. and agonize over my decision.

again

it's snowing again, big fat heavy flakes.
beautiful.
mounting fast.
almost to my windowsills. 

from the writing box

this purple creature may well have started out to be a person, but in the end, it was an octopus. we're not sure who the benevolent blue face is smiling down on him. but obviously, it's a face that only a grandmother could love.

the beginning of the end

it's february second, groundhog day here. with the widespread snowstorm raging outside, there's no way he'll see his shadow. he may not even be able to to burrow through all the snow to get to the surface!

today is one of four cross-quarter days of the year, this one mid-way between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, the halfway point between winter and spring. the importance of this time of year in many cultures gives rise to celebrations today like candlemas, imbolc, st. brigid's day, lichun, and gŵyl y canhwyllau. although traditions vary greatly, the underlying significance of this day seems to involve the slow return of light and the anticipation of new life and spring. interesting how universally important it is for winter to come to an end. 

it seems somehow fitting that today is the day i find these birds outside my window, robins at the holly bushes, scavenging for berries. later in the day, i find more at the crabapple in the field. i wonder if this is indeed a sign of spring or just an indication of what a snowy winter we've been having. 

first of the month

january passed quickly but was fraught with snowstorm after snowstorm. and look, here's another now, this morning out the window at work. at this point, we had already been notified that we will not be working tomorrow. again. if today is any indication that february is going to be as snowy as its predecessor, i sure hope it goes by with the speed that january did.

frozen mud clumps, aka frud?

finally a day arrives with temperatures above freezing so i can take the car for a much needed wash. but alas, even with pressurized hot water and an under carriage wash, i am still left with remnants of all four of these snow/mud things stuck between my tires and my mud flaps. they arrive with the first snow and stay for the entire winter. no amount of kicking or banging will loosen them and toes have been injured trying. they are so present and such a nuisance that these frozen clumps really ought to have a name of their own. suggestions, anyone?

stopping by woods on a snowy morning

 

whose woods these are, i think i know...

tonight i was reminded how much i like poetry, even if i don't often take - no, make - the time to read it. with so much to do, so much to keep up with, there's hardly any time left for things that stir my soul...

deep freeze

these days it's been almost unbearably cold. the sort of cold that sends you scampering barefoot across the tile floor to the hot shower to warm up. a cold that finds you roasting a turkey mainly to make the kitchen cozy. a many-cups-of-tea kind of cold that forces you to pillows and quilts and comforters before you're even tired enough to sleep. a cold that makes you resign yourself to the fact that the heat must be turned way up on to thaw your toes, even as the woodstove behind you warms your back.

glory in the morning

a long shot out the window this glorious and cold winter morning.

view from the chair

tomorrow, i have to go back to the dentist. i would rather clean ovens, eat lint, or go without internet for a month, than go to the dentist.  in truth, i'm a total wimp when dealing with matters of the mouth. what makes these visits bearable, though, is not the nitrous oxide, not the novocaine, not the ipod with the earbuds - it's the maps. there are floor to ceiling maps in each of the treatment rooms, filling the entire wall in front of the chair. this map of the world is my favorite one. i'm always so excited to be put in this room. reading the names of far-off places, studying the borders between countries, visually tracing the routes of rivers from the mountains to the sea and dreaming dreams of distant lands all bring a sense of calm and wonder that help set the tone for the visits. i'm content and in control when my dentist appears. then i insert the earbuds, the nitrous oxide kicks in - and i'm good.

vices

i don't smoke, 

i don't drink, 

i don't gamble, 

and i don't wear fancy clothes. 

but i shamelessly buy myself flowers in winter.

zero.

up and out very early this saturday morning. it's 0° outside and the car is not yet heated up as i pull out of the driveway. it's the kind of morning when you can be fairly certain the sun, in all its brilliance, isn't going to warm things up much at all.

january 12 of 12: inside out

there's this exercise that some picture-taking friends partake in that i've always wanted to try. it's called 12 of 12 and goes like this: on the 12th of every month, you photograph and post 12 images depicting a timeline of your day or some sort of theme. since yesterday (the 12th) was a stay-at-home snow day for me, i thought i'd give it my best effort. the picture taking part was easy - it's meeting the deadline of the 12th that's giving me trouble! who knows when this thing will finally get posted?? anyway, here's mine, with the very broad theme of inside out, since much of the day was spent inside looking, and photographing, out.

.............

these are the flannel pajamas i wore all day. who wants to get dressed on a snow day? the night before, i dutifully wore these pajamas inside-out in an effort to bring on a snow day. and it worked. it's a time-tested ritual. ask any kid. or any teacher.

a surprise visitor for the day - the little girl!! preschool was cancelled, perhaps due to all those 3 & 4 year olds and their inside-out pjs. we had our boots at the door but we never made it outside because we were having too much fun inside.

i was very glad i'd had the presence of mind to fill the feeders the night before the storm. the birds were so active - and very hungry!

they were also entertaining and we kept going back to the windows all day - the little girl with the binoculars and me with the telephoto lens.

a tiny redpoll kept knocking seed out of the feeder and down to the snow, then hopping around in it to eat it. at one point he was even flicking snow around with his beak, much to the delight of the little girl.

there was an inside bird as well - big bird on sesame street! i used to watch this with the girl on snow days, too. i am always amazed at how little this show has changed over thirty-plus years. they must be doing something right on sesame street!

midday, as the snow continued, the wind began to blow. with the way this squirrel's tail was wrapped up so tightly to his body, it must have been mighty cold out there. but we were warming up inside with lunch in a lunchbox and tomato soup!

look at this great thermos technology! a straw built right into the flip-open cap, an easy way for a little one to get the milk out of the thermos without the spills the girl must have had at her age with a plastic screw-open cup holder cap! 

the storm raged all afternoon. wind blew the snow this way, then that. it was a pretty good nor'easter, the kind where you don't see a plow truck for hours because no one's out and about!

a friend emailed me a video of a comic comparing life in california with living in new england. this guy says folks in new england can only use their picnic tables a few days each summer because of all the bugs and flying things we have here. he claims many new englanders keep a picnic table only so they can see how much snow has accumulated without going outside. and earlier, i had taken this picture to send to the girl at work so she'd know what to expect when she returned. so i guess i'm guilty as charged!

the day ended, the girl navigated back home safely, and the little girl at last ventured outside and into the cold and the snow to go home. blazing a trail through the snowy walk lasted only a few feet...

before her mother obliged her by carrying her. tired legs, the little girl claimed. small wonder with snow up to those tiny hips! and the snow continued, even after they were long gone and safe at home. 

made my day

a quick stop at the market this evening to stock up on milk and tea in anticipation of the new year's first snowstorm. when i inadvertently left my keys on the counter and turned to leave, a kindly old gentleman in line behind me touched my shoulder, nodded towards the keys and said you'll be needing these...  and then he called me miss.

i guess it's all relative. thank you, sir.

what's next?

as winter storm warnings mount for an impending east coast snowstorm, look - at the local pharmacy, they think now that christmas is over spring is right around the corner. who makes these decisions anyway? and who on earth buys this stuff now?

saturday snow

the view out the window as i sit here. 

it's just beautiful, that's all.