It’s Spring!

Welcome to Spring!

Pretty soon, everything will be blooming and nature will put on a vast and varied treat for the eyes.

In fact, my lilac bushes and the trees in my neighborhood are already budding.

The Daffodils and Lilies and Mint are pushing through the recently frozen ground…

and giving way to the promise to perfume the air and color the landscape. (that was rather poetic, was it not?!)

Wow! Those photos make it look like they’re really growing, doesn’t it?

Actually, I laid on the ground (the neighbors didn’t look at me like I was crazy at all) and put the camera down in a low spot.

The plants are 1 – 1.5 inches tall at most.

But after the dreary and colorless (that may be a bit dramatic) end of Winter, they seem like mighty giants!

Yay for Spring!

Thanks for stopping by – come back any time. Cheers!

Tonight’s the Night

Thought I’d take the time to remind you:

…As if anyone actually needs to be reminded!

I mean, it’s not like Spring is just around the corner or anything!

(can you feel it?!)

Anyway, enjoy your [shortened] weekend!

Thanks for stopping by – come back anytime!

 

 

In Like a Lamb

Welcome to March!

We were supposed to get some snow, but there was just a ‘dusting’ (I don’t think that counts!) so the new month is beginning… well… lamb-ish.

The sun is shining brightly through the trees:

(yes, that one didn’t drop its leaves before winter… gives us some extra yard work to look forward to in Spring. blech!)

And, while there was a cat on the prowl:

There was no lion!

Not at midnight, nor at noon.

Anyway, you know I love how pretty snow is.

And the warmth of the sunshine is nice.

But, I wonder…

is it too much to hope that March goes out like a lamb, too?

We only have to wait and see!

Thanks for stopping by – come back anytime.

Whew, snow!

Unpopular as it may seem, especially during the season, I happen to like Winter.

And snow.

Oh I mean – And ❊ SNOW! ❊ (insert smiley face here!)

Yes, I do! (another smiley face!)

Seriously, I was beginning to think that Spring came way too soon – the snow we had pretty much all melted, the grass was green, and people weren’t complaining about the weather (yeah, I went there! lol!)

I mean, even I had opened a window not 2 days ago to let the fresh air in. It was almost 50 degrees in January…

which doesn’t seem right…

because it’s not!

‘Cause… see? Pretty!

Even in black & white (maybe more so):

Ok, maybe snow is kinda a downer when I have to drive in it (let’s be honest, that has to do more with other drivers than the snow, itself).

And sure, there is the “too much of a good thing” argument, like high snowfall or below-zero temps.

But we’re supposed to have 4 seasons in this climate – we need to have 4 seasons!

…if only for us to have something to talk about.   (◕‿~)

So like the old saying goes:
When Mother Nature gives you snow, make snowballs!

Thanks for stopping by – Cheers!

Love Life, Be Brave

I like jewelry.

I also like to wear jewelry.

But the funny thing is, I haven’t really been wearing jewelry for the past few years.

It’s possible that some of you are thinking, this is not a huge revelation or deep insight to share. I know.

Anyway, I decided that one of my (easy-to-keep) 2015 resolutions would be to wear jewelry every day, whether or not I had somewhere to go or something special to do.

Now, this may seem trivial (yeah, who cares?!) or maybe even border-line arrogant (oh, look at her, she has jewelry, brag much?! and la-ti-da!)

But for me, this actually does go deeper than the ‘frosting on the cake’ that is rings-and-things. It has meaning and nuance and, ok, it does make me feel happy to match my accessories to my outfit (or pj’s as the case may be…)

And, I don’t know if this is ironic — maybe it’s just a coincidence — but the first ring I picked up at the start of the new year was this one:

A ring. With a simple but powerful message:

“Love Life  —  Be Brave”

I wear it every day as a reminder. And a goal.

And I think you might agree…

It does have a nice RING to it (see what I did there?! lol!!)

Hope you’re all having a great start to this new year.

Thanks for stopping by – Cheers!

Happy 2015!

Hope this is the beginning of a wonderful year for us all!

Thanks for stopping by – Cheers!

Merry Christmas, 2014

As the Christmas holiday draws near, I simply want to extend to all of you:

Hope Santa gets you all exactly what you wish for!

and

May you have the best holiday season yet!

Thanks for stopping by – have a great day!

Gone Building

On occasion, I like to drive around and re-visit places I’ve photographed, just to see if anything has changed.

I was saddened, then, when I drove by one of my favorite locales – of what I thought was a beautiful, old, stone building – and saw that it has now been torn down.

Here are my final photos of it, taken earlier this year…

Look at the beautiful old stone (I think it’s limestone, but I’m not certain)

And, quite frankly, the structure seems pretty sound… especially for a building that lasted most of a century! I guess looks can be deceiving – or the land-owner had more important use for this parcel of land.

Alas (you know I love that word!), I guess the old adage is true: not all things are meant to last forever.

Thank you, Nicéphore Niépce for pioneering the field of photography, so memories like this can be kept alive!

(quick knowledge/history bomb to drop: The Frenchman, Nicéphore Niépce, is widely credited as the inventor of photography. He developed heliography, a technique he used to create the world’s oldest surviving product of a photographic process: a print made from a photoengraved printing plate in 1825. In 1826 or 1827, he used a primitive camera to produce the oldest surviving photograph of a real-world scene.)

Thanks for stopping by – have a great day!

Veteran’s Day 2014

In memory of my USAF Veteran Dad, and for all of the Veterans and active military who courageously put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and serve our citizenship in times of peace, disaster, and need: Thank you!

Note about the photo:
This was taken in a cemetery nearby. It is a statue that marks the grave of this family’s only son (only child!) who was killed in WWII – and it is his likeness. What a beautiful (and sad) tribute.

Remember to shake the hand of a Veteran or active-duty Military person and thank them for their service — not just today but feel free to do it on any day…

And, since it’s getting to be that time of year,  please remember service members when filling out your Christmas Card list:
Holiday Mail for Heroes Campaign (Christmas Letters)
www.redcross.org/holidaymail
Each year the American Red Cross provides assistance to more than 2 million service members and many of our nation’s 24 million veterans. We support military families, military and veterans hospitals and provide emergency communications across the globe. And once a year, we get the joy of delivering holiday cards to veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world. The cards and personal messages, sent by tens of thousands of Americans, provide a welcome “touch of home” for our troops during the holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by – have a great day

And A Year Goes By

Well, it was simply beautiful here yesterday.

Sun was shining.

Amazing blue sky.

Birds chirping.

And the COLORS!

Here, let me show you:

Made me think, “what was it like this time last year?”

So I looked and…

well…

YIKES:

It was snowing!!

Yep, one year ago (yesterday, when I intended to post this!)  was our first measurable snowfall.

Glad there is a difference this year!

Oh Mother Nature… you sure do keep us on our toes!

Thanks for stopping by – have a great day!