far from home II

this fat tuesday morning i am greeted by a fat robin at the feeder. there is easily three feet of snow on the ground in this neck of the woods and i have no idea why he'd choose to be here. a quick look through the fridge yields cranberries from the holidays but by the time i string a few on a length of jute, he is gone. off to some place with earthworms and fruit, i pray, and not hanging around here waiting for a spring that will take weeks and weeks to arrive.

far from home

looks like i will probably not be seeing the ocean this winter vacation. i took poor (and funny!) comfort in seeing this flock of seagulls - well inland, perhaps because of a coastal storm.

snowy night on campus

a streetlight glows through ice-ladened branches as i leave my office after class and head home in the snow. it's a good night for slippers and tea.

lost & found

lost a week ago: the woolen half belt to the back of my red winter coat. found today, probably right where it came off, at the edge of the parking area at work. after looking everywhere, fishing through several lost & founds, and tearing the car apart, i was very happy to see it lying there, bright red against the drab winter landscape. i didn't even mind that it smelled like a dog slobbered all over it - or worse. the coat needs a good midwinter cleaning anyway.

valentines day 09

the roses were great
the chocolates were fine
but this heart from the baby girl
was my best valentine.

flowers in february

this is a flowering maple, a plant i bought in may because i loved the deep green and was captivated by the flowers, both red and white on the same plant. keep it outside, the plant man said. in the fall, bring it inside and treat it as a houseplant. sure thing, i thought, knowing full well that it would die the minute it entered the house. but it has thrived at work and, look, it even flowers still - like a flowering maple is wont to do!

holiday remnants

when i bought these stamps at christmastime, it struck me that these nutcrackers, however decorative they looked, were not wearing very festive expressions. but it was christmas, and christmas is for nutcrackers! however, in the light of february, these nutcrackers now look downright sinister. i've been mailing bills and sending out random greeting cards, trying to use them up. only a few left now - just enough to mail valentines.

scrabble in winter

a high point of the cold dark winter has been playing online scrabble with the girl. neither of us is particularly skilled at the game but we continue to play, night after night, she forming a word one night, i making one the next. she takes the triple word score spot, i place a k in a double letter score square. we make two and three letter words we've never heard of. she plays off my x, i play off her q. sometimes we chat as we play, sometimes not. certainly it's not the same as sitting together over a gameboard. but it's a quiet connection across the distance to someone i love at a very quiet, still, contemplative time of the year.

cross quarter

today is groundhog day and candlemas. both special days seemingly evolved from the fact that today is a cross quarter day, or a date midway between a solstice and an equinox. the winter solstice was 45 days ago and the vernal equinox is 46 days hence. if you want to read more about its complex celtic origins, it's here. all i know for certain is this: the amount of daylight is beginning to noticeably lengthen.

supermarket

what happens when you shop for groceries without having first had breakfast...

dress boots

a solemn event on campus dictates professional dress, so i purchase a cheap pair of boots - with heels. my first heels since a foot surgery many years ago after which the podiatrist recommended running shoes only (!) or at the very least flat shoes. but in these boots i click when i walk, i am much taller, and i even feel pretty stylish. i start to remember why i like heels so much. but soon enough my bunions start to scream, my instep aches, and shooting pains course up my foot. i rush to remove the offending footwear. and finally i find blessed relief in my big old clunky sensible shoes. you know, the flat ones.

snowstorm/snowday

the view to my left as i sit at my desk and glance out the window. and it's still snowing. a few more snowstorms like this one and i may be looking out at a wall of white.

found money

discovered in a pocket of a garment that obviously has not been worn in six-plus years - this receipt and all the change from a $20, save the penny. wish i'd realized it was there all those payday mornings when i scrounged around for loose change to buy a coffee.

newfangled dolls

my first doll had a hole in her mouth and another one in her bottom. when you fed her from her pink tipped plastic bottle, she promptly wet out the other side whatever it was that you put into her. today's dolls have motion sensors so they can giggle and coo and wriggle and crawl as they are approached by their tiny owners. and also by older folks who are mindlessly passing by their shelves in the store on their way to buy shampoo and toothpaste. folks who scare easily when they can't figure out where those odd noises are coming from. believe me when i tell you the din of their collective chattering sounded like a chorus of crazed chipmunks. i didn't even stick around to see if they still drink from their bottles. 

a new day

and what a day it was, full of unity and pride, emotion and awe, inspiration and hope. i go to bed, not wanting the day to end - but so eager to see what's to come.

forecast for january 20th

"red sun at night,  sailors' delight."

a grey afternoon, with this unexpected burst of red-orange as the setting sun emerges from clouds.

sailors aren't the only ones who are going to be delighted tomorrow...

re: birdseed

see that feeder? i filled it three hours ago. i really do go through a lot of seed!

helvetica

looking at techno-friends, i see some of them as real geeks but have never particularly thought of myself as one. but i wonder now, because in a few minutes, our local pbs station is airing a mini-documentary that i've been dying to see. it's called helvetica and it's about typeface. yes, fonts.  the impact they have on advertising. the way they've affected business. their place in our culture. i can't wait. 

now here's a quiz for you: what font are you? take it - it's fun! then leave a comment and let me know what font you are. btw, i'm times new roman. 

brrrrr

mighty chilly this morning according to the thermometer in the car. so cold that the pipes froze at work and they closed the building. how odd to have a day off when we aren't even having any snow!

evening "star"

on my way home these cold dark nights, venus shines brilliantly in the west. as i drive, i consider our system of planets, the stars beyond, and the galaxies farther still, unfathomable distances from our own huge milky way. i wonder about space travel and light years and try to rationalize the ways such great distances affect time. i imagine the possibilities of other worlds. on nights such a these, i just can't help but wonder what's out there.

out of sync

sitting here tonight, engrossed in work, i found myself suddenly buzzed by a mosquito. in the house. on the coldest night in january. here he lies, poor unfortunate fellow. had he emerged as nature intended, outside in the warmth of a lush july night, he might have lived a longer life. then again, he might have gotten smacked with the fly swatter that would no longer be tucked away in a closet somewhere, waiting for spring. 

an early morning muse

as i dry my ears this morning, i wonder about q-tips. where did they come from and why were they made? and most importantly, what's the "q" for? why not c-tips or w-tips? coffee cup in hand, i do a little early morning sleuthing. and come up with -- copyrighted information from the manufacturer! it's too early to read the terms of use and there's no time to do any more research. so if you're curious, too,  just google q-tips for yourself to find  the answers to these and other pressing questions. 

birdseed

when i am an old lady and it's time for presents, do not give me perfume or house coats or baskets of teas. give me birdseed. because the older i get, the more i enjoy birds. and the more i enjoy birds, the more i feed them.  the more i feed them, the more they eat. and the more they eat, the more i have to buy. the more i have to buy, the more expensive it becomes. and at this rate, bird seed purchases will be eating into my meager monthly social security check. so remember, dear readers, at gift-giving times, please - just send seed. thank you. 

cozy spot

just in case anyone wants to sit outside and read on a frigid new england saturday at the dump.

perigee moonlight

january moonlight, bright enough to make night look like day, 

with setting saturn glowing brilliantly through the trees. 

last january this moon was so bright 

i tore down bedroom curtains to let in the light. 

luckily for me tonight, the windows are still bare. 

before the sun

a glance out the window just before dawn showed a hint of blue where grey had been and white would soon be. a mad rush in slippers to get the camera and get outside for a shot before the light changed, which it quickly did. the day dawned crisp and cold and calm, with a hint of birdsong. a lovely start to the day.

the earth at perihelion

this is the day the earth is the closest to the sun in its yearly orbit - earth's perihelion. from the greek, peri- meaning around and helios, sun. how odd that the planet is as close to the sun as it could possibly be when the weather is so very cold. and when will earth be the farthest from the sun, you ask? on the 4th of july. doesn't it figure?

a spectacle

finding new glasses is such a trying experience. so many styles to choose from and decisions to make. plastic frames or metal? silver or gold? round or rectangular or oval? bejeweled or understated? try a pair, put them down - but where? if you put them back in the correct tray, you run the risk of getting them confused with others you've tried on and dismissed. if you put them on the counter, you soon have a small but confusingly jumbled collection. find a pair that at least looks promising only to be told the lenses are too small for your prescription. there are far too many details for me. i'll just wear my old specs for a while longer  until i muster more patience with the process of buying new ones. 

night ride

moon over the village on the ride home tonight. a waxing crescent, headed to first quarter by the week's end. when i was a kid, i was amazed at the way the moon followed us all the way home when we were out at night. and i watch it still, even now, and continue to marvel at such things. 

holiday aftermath

seriously, it takes roughly five or six nights to decorate this place for the holidays. the tree, the doors, the mantle, the cupboard shelves and windowsills. and it takes about twenty minutes to "grinch" it. not a task i enjoy at all. it makes me a little sad. but it's about done for another year.

a brand new year

knowing full well that nothing ever gets resolved with resolutions, i'm instead making a few new year's intentions. wish me luck!

• to work less and play more

• to see the ocean in each season

• to try quinoa

• to eat more vegetables -  or at least drink more v8

• to teach the baby girl to play candyland

• to get a new camera lens

• to tag blog postings (starting today!)

and what are your intentions??

top ten reasons why 2008 wasn't so bad after all:

#10: didn't lose money in the stock market because we didn't have much invested anyway
#9: mpg for new car began to rise in may, right around the time gas prices started to climb
#8: a bad case of shingles left no noticeable scars or side effects and the headache just comes and goes now
#7: the red sox did okay without manny 
#6: even though i lost my good friend pat i still see remembrances of her every time i turn around
#5: the baby girl learned to walk and talk, and to dance and sing
#4: last year's jeans still fit this year
#3: surpassed 500 blog posts, despite the fact that i don't have all that much to say
#2: family and friends are healthy and happy and safe

and the #1 reason 2008 wasn't so bad after all...hope for change!

a happy, serendipitous new year to you all.

in bloom and on time

yes, reader, i know you've seen these paperwhites blooming in my kitchen every christmastime. but this year's blooms are so stunningly perfect and fragrant and they give me such joy that they bear blogging again. please forgive me.

bird ball

a chickadee feasting at the bird ball that santa put in my christmas stocking! a good present for the birds. and for me, too!

the sampler

fifteen years ago, i painstakingly designed a personalized cross stitch sampler. after years of stitching other people's designs, this piece was to be my magnum opus. but soon after i began the needlework, i gave up in frustration when the task proved to be too much for these aging eyes. for years, the canvas sat, untouched. then at some point, the girl took it and, following my plan, finished it with eyes younger than mine. on christmas eve, she presented it back to me, wrapped in a box with a bow. and aging eyes wept with joy and gratitude.

christmas 08

happy christmas! and it was!

the view from the car

sunset taken from the speeding car as i barreled down the highway to finish the christmas shopping that didn't get done over the weekend. only two more shopping days 'til christmas. yikes.

baking day

day two of a snowstorm, a foot of the white stuff, and the perfect day to bake. date nut bread and pound cake and a candy recipe from a friend. maybe some cookies. white stuff all over the kitchen.

snowstorm

Out of the bosom of the Air
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

simple celebrations

today i attended a school lunch and sing along and mingled with excited children and beaming parents to the strains of "rudolph the red nosed reindeer." tonight i went with friends to a community concert, with adolescent singing, high school musicians, elves as emcees, and the hallelujah chorus for a finale. both were simple yet meaningful affairs that brought out the joy and magic of the holiday. they slowed my pace and were just the respite i needed during this final rush to christmas.

big town small trees

the evergreen trees lining the parking lot of the biggest market in our area. and after today's snow, they're all decked out for christmas.

small town big tree

the tree on the town's postage stamp-sized common. it's probably the biggest evergreen in the whole town, and it's all decked out for christmas.

full cold moon

i awake early. much, much too early. but brightness streams in the windows and spills onto the floor. i arise, look out, and gasp at the scene - a wonderland of ice encrusted trees all reaching for the source of the illumination. in nightclothes and boots i venture out to try to capture it. who can sleep on such a wondrous night?

ice storm

many parts of northern new england have experienced a pre-christmas ice storm, complete with downed trees, power outages, and states-of-emergencies. here we had flickering lights and ice covered limbs. but we also had quiet carols, cocoa chai, candles in the windows, and woodstove warmth. a quiet pause before a weekend of christmas hustle and bustle.

splenda'd

can't decide whether these belong in the leave-well-enough-alone category with the poinsettia and the eggnog, or whether sugar-free candy canes sweetened with splenda may be a good christmas innovation.

the honor system

during yesterday's serendipitous shopping trip, a remarkable thing happened to me. as i approached a shopkeeper with my arms full of purchases and my credit card extended, she pointed to the sign by the register. cash or check only, it read. or honor system.
"just send me a check later," the shopkeeper says.
"are you kidding?" i question.
"nah, i do it all the time," she says.
"you don't even know me!" i exclaim in disbelief. "how do you know you'll get paid back?"
she replies, "hey - it's your karma..."
so i charged $61.19 in amazing items to a person i've never met and perhaps will never see again. and her check will go out in tomorrow's mail along with my sincere gratitude for her kindness and her trust. but the striking thing about the experience is the feeling of awe i am left with, even a day later. i am eagerly anticipating paying that kindness forward. maybe even two or three times.

village shopping

this afternoon, a friend and i meandered into a charming but unfamiliar community, a remote village filled with old new england houses and old country stores yet bustling with holiday merriment and christmas cheer. we shopped craft fair booths set up in small spaces and bought homemade soaps and jellies, handmade beaded items, unusual toys and books, and christmas paperwhites and amarylis from local garden club members who offered their methods to force them into christmas bloom. in the basement of the methodist church, at long tables set in red and green, we had a lunch of seafood corn chowder, a warm roll, and spicy gingerbread, all made by the women's club for a price of under five dollars. there were smiles and greetings as folks passed us on the road and there was just enough snow on the ground to make it feel festive. it was the perfect pre-christmas experience - and it was way better than the mall.

countdown to christmas

for almost a year, i've been planning a little christmas surprise for the girl. finally, this was the week to reveal it. it's coming to you a few days late since i wanted to check with the girl about sharing it. 25 ornaments that may look ordinary to the casual reader, but that hold a special significance here at christmas time. happy advent.

you get what you paid for

when i go away, i'm pretty meticulous about packing. this trip i remembered the electric toothbrush but forgot the toothpaste. so i made a cheap purchase last night at a nearby dollar store. only as i was readying for bed did i realize i left the tube in the car. so i brushed with plain water and went to sleep. this morning i retrieved the toothpaste from the car to find that i had purchased vanilla mint colgate with my dollar. vanilla mint. doesn't that sound like a scented candle - or aerosol room freshener? i had to drink numerous cups of coffee to get the wretched taste out of my mouth. not looking forward to brushing tonight...

gilding the poinsettia

well, apparently nothing is sacred!  tell me, why would anyone do this to a living thing, especially one so naturally beautiful??