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.

looking up, looking within

in the evening sky tonight, planet jupiter, the waxing crescent moon, and planet venus. i stayed in all day today, kept quiet, but happened to glance this scene out my window at twilight, and ran to a clearing so i could better see. historically, this is a reflective day for me, an anniversary of a life event that has gotten so much better with time, but never really leaves entirely. i am glad of the fact that this celestial event made a pensive day so spectacular, if only for a little while.

snow in the morning

now i remember what winter's all about. lovely morning outside my window - bright and white. but friends from areas south and west of here tell me strong winds are headed this way so i need to get out before they begin. now, where did i put those boots...?

snow at dusk

after waiting for it all day, snow started falling gently, right at dusk. for the most part, it's been a snowless winter this year and i've liked it - no boots, no hats, no snowy roads or walkways to negotiate. there's been the tiniest bit of snow on the ground, just enough to make it the landscape look white and like it's february. but it hasn't even felt that way with warm temperatures and fleece jackets instead of wool coats. i can't help but wonder if all that may change now.

outdated

time for a new check register, don't you think?
oh yeah.

shrove tuesday

pancakes for shrove tuesday dinner. overindulgence, i suppose, 

but i was neither in the mood nor in the area for mardi gras.

distant cousin

quite late last night, i received word that an older cousin had died suddenly, and it's been heavy on my mind since. she grew up in the navy so her family moved around a lot, and i think i probably saw her only three times in my entire life, all when we were both children. she spent her whole adult life overseas, with no brothers, no sisters and, as her parents died, she stayed in the same community. it gives me comfort to know that she was important to the people there and that they loved and cared for her. once again, i find myself thanking facebook for bringing a long lost relation, albiet a virtual one, back into my world. we had over four years of contact - about family, our fathers and grandparents, religion, the Red Sox, flash mobs, culture, music, and the contents of this blog. i will greatly miss that.

here's my cousin, riding on a camel. in truth, it sounds like she lead a much simpler life - friends, church, God, trips, helping others - so i always got a real kick out of this picture. when i think of her, i hope to remember her this way - a sweet, spirited woman, grinning broadly from atop a camel. r.i.p. joanna.

valentimes

flowers, a card, some heart cookies, a drawing...all anticipated and all quite lovely. a handmade heart sentiment, left as a surprise from a youngster, one that i had not thought i was reaching - such a wonderful gift. perhaps i'm reading more into it than was intended, but tonight i still smile every time it catches my eye.

february 12 of 12: a few of my favorite things

today dawned bright, sunny, and bitterly cold. my planned 12 of 12 for the month involved venturing out-of-doors, and i early on decided not to. in an effort to salvage the project, i started to showcase some of the everyday items in the house that give me small joys. i am by no means a "material girl" - but these things, i just love.

this cabinet. i bought it on impulse for $100 that i didn't have many, many years ago. i painted it this odd color because i just liked the teal, then built the room around it. some might think it's a tad shabby, but every time i polish it or put something inside, i'm glad all over again that i bought it.

these candles. it's all i burn these days. hand-made soy, with amazing combinations of scents. i allow myself only one of these candles a month. and when it's gone, it's gone.

pottery. crocks and jars, vases and plates. none of them particularly of any value, many of them chipped, but all simple, utilitarian, and i love using them. this is one of the only pieces i have with an intact cover!

here's my vase of choice, a reproduction redware three-handled cup from a plimoth plantation in massachusetts, given to me by a friend. twice, a handle has broken off and twice, it's been repaired. i can't imagine why this would need three handles - i think that's part of the charm.

this is the measuring cup i've had all my adult baking life. it works well to dip into dry ingredients, it levels right at the one cup mark, and the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 markings are easy to see inside and out. recently, i found another almost identical measure in a consignment shop. now i have one for dry ingredients, one for wet. i'm a happy baker!

my favorite room in the house, probably because it's the one that stays the cleanest. it was the girl's when she was small and now serves as a guest room. i love this bed, one that i bought covered with horrid paint and stripped to find beautiful walnut with inlays. if i leave the door to this room open, i can see into it as i go through the living room. i like that.

i have lots of needlework around the place but this is one of my favorites. the girl made it for me one year for christmas. i like it so much, i just never take it down! by the way, my other favorite is here. 

this is far from my most intricate quilt but it's the one i like the best. i like the colors and the prints and the design. it hangs on my wall, in close proximity to that cabinet above, because in the light of that room, the greens/teals look like the same color, thank goodness! 

ranunculus, my new favorite winter flower. i'm always happy when i stop for friday flowers and these beauties are in the cooler. they last and last and those petals circle from the outside in and look like they never end.

my favorite socks. comfy. cozy. soft. warm. great colors. i have about seven pair of these, each in a different color yarn. i wear them all winter long, even around the house with birkenstocks. yes, i do.

for a grown woman, i have way too many teddy bears. this one's my favorite. it was my mother's, it came from harrod's in london, and she used to keep it on her bed. after she died, i bought it sweaters so the little girl could dress it up for holidays. yes, i did.

my favorite technology. it reads the conditions right outside the door. you know what a weather junkie i am. i love that these readings come from my own yard. and that it shows the phase of the moon.

i am so late with this month's 12 of 12 and only finish it because i had taken all the pictures. someone once told me that this would happen, that i'd get too busy to post within an acceptable period of time. silly me -  i didn't believe him. guess he was right after all. 

sitting out

a late night tonight at work and i arrived home well after dark. the evening was starlit and cold, the still, brisk sort of cold that permeates lungs, clears the mind, and eases the soul. so instead of making dinner, instead of checking email and voicemail, instead of starting homework or housework or coursework, i stayed outside. i sat outside, in the night. and for a good long time.

better late than never

there must be something truly magical about this spot by the window. it's the very same place where my cactus bloomed last year. and now look! my poinsettia from december 2010 is not only still alive (which in itself is nothing short of amazing), but now it's turning it's lovely flowery shade of pink - and all by itself. never has this happened to me and i don't even care that it's all taking place two months too late. i'll take it when i can get it!

candlemas

if candlemas day is clear and bright
winter will have another bite.
if candlemas day brings cloud and rain,
winter is gone and will not come again.

hoping the groundhog does not see his shadow.

evening light

looking out the window, february 1st, 5:18 in the evening. and even though it's dark enough for the solar lights to come on, it's light enough to still see outside.

loraine's birds

my old friend and neighbor, loraine, moved away many years ago. i'm not sure what she fed them when she lived here but she always had the best birds at her feeders. when she left, i expected her birds would just migrate on over to my house. i eventually got her chickadees, her finches, and her titmice. but what i really wanted was her cardinals. and that was not to be. over the years, i would hear one in the woods, i could glimpse one in the treetops, i would see one streaking red in flight. but none ever came to feed. none ever came close enough to the house to photograph. until this week, that is! loraine, i think i finally have all your birds!

even a female!