Tea n Sunrise

What a mellow morning, this, with my teddy bear cup and earrings resting on the sunlit table my sony waits for it's chance to go outside and take photographs. The morning sunrise casts long shadows putting it's warm glow on the the wall paper. Today was slow and peaceful here, but the sun did not stripe across my table and my sony never did come out to play. Still, it was a good day and I was gifted with some horsetail plants, just when I was so curious about the horsetail silica and wondering where that came from. What a wonderful surprise, not just the answer to my curiosity, but that a friend I hadn't seen in so long, immediately gave me a gift!

Ready, Set, Wait

I don't really mind that yesterday was summer and today it's spring again. It's bright and sunny with a pretty chilly wind today, but yesterday was so hot and muggy that this is a relief. It will be full force summer soon enough I'm glad to have more spring first.

1st Summer Day

Yeah, I know it's still May, Spring obviously, but today, there was no convincing the weather! Thunder storms and downpouring moisture accompanied the first really Hot day of the season. A couple of my people had their sweaters on, but that certainly didn't last long, and I was busy sliding up and down the windows trying to keep it cool in the car without filling it up with rain! Forty two for tonight's low and a nice seventy something tomorrow means it's cooling off now for a while before the thermometer starts to climb back up. Are you ready.....?

Memorial Weekend

Wow! It was perfect weather today. I went up to the BBQ place and sat out under the canopy to eat. Everything was warm and green with a gentle breeze stirring. I remembered back a million years to childhood Memorial Days with all the family chattering. There were so many of us back then, dozens of kids, it seems and Aunt somebody full in the belly and letting us all place our tiny hands on her roundness to wait for the next kick. It was much quieter today with me alone at my table, surrounded by other small families eating at their tables. I enjoyed the warmth, the wind, the green and flowers blossoming as much as I enjoyed my ancient memories. Memorial Day, indeed!

Memorial Weekend started hours ago and I was out in it when school let out and the chaos began. There is a wound-up-ness in the air, lines at the deli counter and people carrying bags of barbeque charcoal. The sun is bright, the wind is gusty and people are wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts. They say it will be eighty something on Monday and even if it is cloudy, we're all going to be ok with that! On the brink of summer, ready and willing, we say, "Bring it on!"

Golden

I love a Golden best of all. That's easy for me to say since I don't have one using my lap for a couch, but it looks to me like this lady loves her golden, too.
We had a neighborhood Golden in Magnolia who in his most gentle spirited way went everywhere and visited everybody - he even came to our wedding, wearing his wonderful smile, trotting through the garden, stopping to get petted by golden worshipers, then disappeared around the corner. He never did figure out the whole "no dogs allowed on the beach" idea but he's play "fetch" with just about anybody. I know about people's thirst for GOLD and I read all about the gold rush, but I'd prefer a good old brown eyed Golden Retriever, any day!

Here and Now

When did we lose it? Where did our "here and now" disappear to? We spend so much time fearing tomorrow and resenting yesterday that we seem to have lost our ability to be fully involved in the PRESENT! Jane's pretty sick and the doctors and procedures all around the cancer diagnosis are traumatizing her, but...
Suddenly she's out of the house more, observing the world, delighting in the season, finding humor in the moment, and much more aware of the feeling of The Present. Could it be that cancer is a present? I believe it would take that kind of attitude to make is so, but in the meantime, I witness Jane witnessing the world like it was new and absorbing - here and now!

Rain Day Cat Naps

Joy went outside for a little while, but she my girls are all that fond of rain. I was pretty lucky myself today. It was only damp this morning and after my first appointment I was able to visit the flea market, get breakfast and do a little shopping before it started raining earnestly. Everyone in the house slept through the first downpour and then, when Joy was back in the house, I was the only one awake for the next few hours. It's still pouring as the dark folds over us and night begins. What a peaceful day!

Cat & Mouse

Here's Barley sneaking up on the mouse pressing his paw on the PageUp -PageDown button, hoping, I guess, that the mouse won't notice such slow "activity". I believe Barley went to sleep almost immediately, so the mouse really had nothing to fret anyway. Let's face it Barley, you just aren't fast enough these days. :-)

Pool Closed

Paying no attention to the fact that the swimming pool is closed and covered for the winter, these two ducks simply help themselves to a swim in the rainwater collected on top. Actually, they won't even think of going in the pool when it's open - they don't like chlorine or that household's collection of teen aged people swimmers.

Meditation

I meditated in the hospital today. I thought I was waiting for 1/2 hour for her and decided that would be the best way to spend my energy for that time. However, when I opened my eyes and discovered it was almost an hour later, I told the nurse I had to go get another client, and left the woman there to recover while I ran around delivering another to her appointments.
It was probably easier for this couple to meditate on their beach, but I discovered it doesn't much matter where you do it, only that you do.

Mother's Day

How long does it last? This time of snuggling up to mommy, tucking your head up under her chin and having a good cry about something. How long has it been since someone wrapped arms around us and made us feel safe and protected? What about the fleeting moment in time when

your little people came to you to cry through their big problems? It all goes by so fast it's hard to remember the moments. I'm just glad I was able to capture one for posterity. To all the people in the world that do any kind of mothering: Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Fishing

I imagine the drawbridge is busy like crazy this Mother's Day weekend. The cape is probably half full of tourists already judging by the number of boats floating around on all the rivers around here today. It seems all the ice fishermen suddenly developed boat feet and driving over any bridge these weekend days provides the view of fishing vessels. It's still too cool to be out on the ocean, but I'll be glad to visit come July.

Happy Mother's Day! :-)

Bleeding Hearts n Lilacs

Gladys gave me some lilacs yesterday and the car smelled great for hours. In the back seat too, even with the windows open, the smell was wonderful. Today I noticed that my bleeding hearts are beginning to bloom. It's odd because they are still so small, but unlike the lilacs, tulips & daffodils, bleeding hearts keep growing and blooming for quite a while. I picked up petunias today and impatience, but they are hiding in the garage for a few more nights until the low temps stay up in the 50's, It's just nice to know it's almost time to get the annuals in the ground. The sweetpeas are already up and the flower seeds I planted last week are showing their green sprouts already. I love garden season. It appeals to the "instant gratification" aspect of my being.
Happy Spring!

Tulip Season

I wonder if it lasts much longer in Holland? The truth about spring, at least in New England, is that it goes from "black & white" to a stunning array of brilliant colors over night. It's startling to see how many different shapes & colors manifest and display their intensity and sparkle and then, almost as suddenly, disappear. Yes, it's almost the end of tulip season! I know I told you last week that it wasn't officially here yet, but...
Of course, we already are getting lilacs, so it's not like anything's missing. Also, the trees are filling out so beautifully it's hard to remember that there were no leaves at all just a little while ago. In fact, some of the leaves are dark green already, contrasted beautifully by the zillions of pale and baby green leaf sprouts popping out on what's left of the naked branches. Well, I've got all the windows open already and it's only 9:30, so I guess we're well on the way to summer.

Not Right

I've seen enough movies wherein the people drove (or pushed) a car off a cliff into the ocean. Murder mysteries and comedies have often used the ocean for a handy place to hide the body or the evidence. This one is a mystery to me, however. I found it on the breakwater at high tide and it looks like it's been there for quite some time. I didn't see a body, or anyone trying to rescue the bike, so it must just be part of the ocean now!

Wet Flowers

Spring is beautiful and rain is so wonderful, saturating the flowers and ground with life giving moisture. Next week when the sun comes out, things will jump up out of the ground like the police are after them. It's beautiful outside and many flowers have already completed their season, but there are many more on their way. I had to laugh when Jackie said, "It's too bad we can't have them all." I explained that we DO have them ALL, but only for a week at a time.

Walking Season

The weather channel is predicting all 70's for next week and since it's May, there is no reason to doubt them. For many people it has already become walking season. People are "coming out of the woodwork" and wandering the streets in the evenings - well, mostly in the daytime at this point, but it won't be long. I really love this picture because the dog is taking his stick for a walk and the people taking the dog for a walk are enjoying the dog walking his stick. What a lovely afternoon walk this is, so much pleasure for so many. You gotta know that I was standing there holding the camera and laughing, too!

May Day @ Dogwood Falls

The cold crept back in again over night and there was a solid frost this morning, so I guess that makes it officially May Day. It's ok now for the temperatures to start climbing, and as per the agreement Mom and I made with the weather man, we can have one (maybe two) good soaking rains a week for a spectacular Spring season.
Today was nothing short of spectacular with all the new baby leaves filling out in a multitude of different colors contrasting and blending with one another in the cool breeze. I tried to absorb it all, be conscious to it all and be aware of only the beauty, I did fall back into patterns of thinking, but with this much glory around me, it was pretty easy to wake up to it.