A Quote for Monday

 

"Go down to Kew in lilac time, in lilac time, in lilac time,
Go down to Kew in lilac time (it isn't far from London!)  A. Noyes

Well, these lilacs are a long, long ways from London, but I bet they smell just as sweet.  Maybe sweeter; there isn't any pollution up here to compete with their lovely scent. 

They're also blooming 2 months ahead of when they used to bloom, but I guess everything is off schedule during this crazy spring.  With the tiny amount of rain they received this past five years, I'm so very grateful that they're blooming at all! 

I sat out on the porch this evening and listened to the birds sing their good night songs to each other, sipped my cup of hot tea and breathed in the lilac-scented air.  Even with the drought, it's such a blessing to live up in these mountains.

Sunday Sunlight

Wordless Wednesday - Smiles

A Quote for Monday

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness the human soul is apt to revive also. ~ Harriet Ann Jacobs

Sunday Sunlight

Taken in March of 2010 down at Lake Gregory, while wandering through the trees...

Spring is...

Sporadic, so far, perhaps because it's so early.  Cherry trees (Rainer) are blossoming...but only up at the top!  There are blossoms just about ready to open down at the bottom on some, none on others.  No dogwoods yet...maybe they're going to follow their normal schedule.  I saw bees today, though, when I took this photo, yay!  Didn't get a good photo as they apparently were too busy to stay still for long.

Vernal Equinox

It will arrive here a little after 3 this afternoon.  On this day the earth's axis is perpendicular to the sun, instead of being tilted a little away from, or toward, the sun as it is on every other day except the autumnal equinox...which also happens of the 20th of March if you live in Australia, New Zealand, South America or Southern Africa.  Of course, in some of those places it's already tomorrow...but that's according to dates and names of days on a calendar that was created by humans.  Nature decrees that there will be longer days after this in the northern hemisphere, shorter days in the southern hemisphere.  But on this day, no matter where you are, just for a brief while, there is balance.

One Word Wednesday - Gloaming

Happy St. Gertrude of Nivelles Day!

(This painting is done by Carolee Clark.  She is a wonderful painter and will do commissioned paintings.  Her blog link is on my blog roll, down to the right; you can contact her through her blog).

Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats and gardeners and, sometimes, travelers.  Who needs that guy...you know, that guy...Patrick somebody...he gets enough attention on this day and anyway, men have had the spotlight in every major religion in the world for far too long...

Sunday Sunlight - Spotlight

Faeries Friday

I thought this Faery looked exactly like a leaf faery who is making Spring arrive too early here would look...a little naughty, a little guilty, and very pleased with herself!

(Image from Pinterest; the wording in the bottom left corner reads "Leaf Fairy HSWindell," ... I think.  It's very tiny).

Catching Up

I guess Spring is well and truly here...I got my annual spring cold on the day after my last post, and it's just now letting me loose from its clutches a bit.  Usually it doesn't show up until the second week of April.  And...I wonder if it's not really a cold, but allergies.  Anyway, I'm happy it's leaving as I'm absolutely unable to function when it's here.  I think that's why I love winter so much...the rain and snow washes all the allergens out of the air and I feel great.  

Now I'm off to catch up on your blogs! 

It's World Wildlife Day

...And Mrs. Rose asks, "Please, be kind to all animals all the time.  You'll make the world a better place for us!" 

This is always the best spot to get a picture of her with her sweet face turned up to me.  In other places, she's usually concentrating on the ground because she's looking for things to eat.  There's a hole under the big rock she has her paw on; just before she ducks under she'll look up at me if I'm there, because she knows I always have a treat for her.  Today's treat was a little bit of a scrambled egg.  By my reckoning, she's nearly five years old.  Skunks can live up to ten years, but five or six is the average.  I hope Mrs. Rose is one of the ones who makes it to ten!  And, the reason I can always tell Mrs. Rose apart from other skunks is because her nose is pink; she's the only skunk I've ever known that has a pink nose, but I don't know why it's pink...

A Quote for Monday

"Winter uses all the shade of blues there are.
One shade for water, one for ice,
Another blue for shadows over snow.
You know the blue jays double blur-device
Shows best when there are no green leaves to show
And Sirius is a winter blue-green star."  Robert Francis, from Blue Winter.

Over the past couple of days we've had rain, hail and, finally, snow!  We didn't get enough to end the drought, or even bring us up to a normal level of precipitation for the rainy season, but it all helps...

Sunday Sunlight

Taken 2.9.2015 at Lake Arrowhead, at a very shallow end of the lake.  There was only about an inch, maybe two, of water underneath the two napping female ducks.  I marveled at how very buoyant ducks are!  I would have thought their feet would be touching the bottom, but no, they had them tucked up tight underneath their bodies.  When a slight breeze ruffled the water, the two bobbed about like rubber duckies in a bathtub, but they didn't wake up.  I wish I could sleep that soundly...