Happy Birthday Bella!

March 31 was Bella's birthday....a wonderful 8 years old!!!  Sadly I don't have puppy pictures as we only adopted her last Sept. -she must have been a cutie!!!
It was what I refer to as my "health week". I dislike doctors and put off all the annual stuff for as long as possible...then I make all the appointments for one week...dentist, optometrist (my distance vision has actually improved and so I am trying mono contacts to see how that goes before laser surgery), mammogram, and dermatologist (mole check). Everything is good for another year!!!!
The renovations continue......stripped wallpaper in the dining room, JJ finished laying hardwood in one bedroom, purchased a new washer and dryer for the laundry room, and painted in the bathroom -still one coat to go. We still have snow so no outside work yet. I'll try to do some sorting before I move furniture back into the bedroom. I think I'd like a new dresser ...maybe red?????

Return to Reality

Fantastic to be away....so relaxing....but good to be back home to the wee doggies and even work!

 It is amazing to love my job so much, sometimes I almost feel guilty thinking I get paid to work with these kids. I have to say it is due to how I run my classroom- high expectations, lots of fun, encouragement, mistakes are part of learning, hands on learning. As a result...kids who follow the rules and make sure their peers follow the rules, kids who teach skills to those that don't know them and lots of praise and encouragement among the kids themselves. Disabilities....what disabilities!!!!

We traveled inland from the west coast of Florida  one day to visit the Audobon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. 2.5 miles of boardwalk through 5 regions of the swamp. Fascinating!! Took tons of pictures of the birds, butterflies, animals, reptiles, trees and vegetation. Here are a few......

                                                White Great Egret

                                                 Painted Bunting

                                                  Bald Cypress Knees

                                                Green Anole

                                                  Brown Anole
 

                                                 Black Crowned Night Heron

Construction

Had a busy, busy week trying to get as much done in the house before we take off for Florida tomorrow. Painted the laundry room all weekend, primer, 2 coats of paint on the walls and the trim. Monday JJ and a friend, then son put together the big cupboards that will stretch across one side of the room. Tues. and Wed. nights I had to finish report cards and Individual Education Plans for all my kids before the break. Last night we had another sbowstorm, freezing rain...so lucky for me the buses were all cancelled.  I couldn't go in to school as I have not had a car for the past 2 days. Yea!!! Extra work day....I'm totally exhausted, my back hurts and I know I'll be sorry tomorrow...but heck ...I'll just be sitting on a plane heading for warmth and sunshine.
Got a call today from my oldest son Ryan...he presented his Masters Thesis today at York University in Toronto....he was successful!!!!  School is done with an M.A.(Anthropology) after his name.  He is coming home as I write this. He'll stay at home with the wee doggies, begin the job of looking for a job, and fill in the free time doing some renovation work around home. It is payback time!!!!

Little Crooked House

There was a crooked man and woman,


who walked a crooked mile.

They found a crooked willow tree

beside a crooked creek.

They bought home two crooked dogs,

who caught the crooked mice,

and they all lived together in a little crooked house.

Well......not the poem you likely remember...but it fits us.  We put down our books and decided it was time, once again, to begin work again on our little crooked house. (ongoing for 30 some years) This time the upstairs laundry room. Once upon a time...oh say a hundred years ago when JJ's grandparents added the second story to the house we live today, this room was likely a bedroom.  When we moved in 30 some years ago....it became a laundry room...basement is to low and yucky for a laundry room. It has had only  redecorating since. So rip out old walls, cover some up, new insulation, new gyprock, level the floor....unbelievably crooked all these years...everything was jacked up to level them. Oldest son came home for the weekend to help out the crooked parents.....he sanded the old wooden plank ceiling , which we decided to leave and helped me to paint it. Actually he did most of the painting and I painted the bathroom ceiling and got the walls in there ready for repainting this week. I hope to paint the laundry room walls after work this week then wait until the hired help comes to lay down the new floor. New cupboards to be assembled and refilled with the laundry room/linen cupboard's contents stashed all over the upstairs. Of course with construction comes dust...ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE.....I am hoping my older son comes home again during my March break to paint some more in the house and look after the terriers two while we go south to bask in the warm sunshine of Florida.

The Terriers Two

What a week!  The temperatures here have varied from plus 11C to minus 25C, up and down, up and down.  The big thaw lasted for 3 days and nights with strong winds to pick up melting moisture so that we lost about 1 1/2 feet of snow....YEA!!!  It has frozen solid again so the dogs can finally run around on the top of the snow in the yard again without getting lost.

After Nellie passed last August, I was so heartbroken that another dog right away was not even considered.  Funny how things happen though....it was only days after she passed that I get a phone call from a man living 400 miles away.  He was a breeder and my name had been given to him by another breeder that I met at a dog show early in the summer.  I told her I was not interested in a puppy but rather wanted to adaopt an older dog in need of a home whenever I was ready for another dog. (we knew at that time Nellie was not going to survive as she did not respond to any treatment or medication in the previous 4 months) Would I be interested in a Lakeland Terrier, a young dog that needed a home???. Well as it turned out he lived 20 minutes from my older sister and we going to spend the Labour Day weekend with her in Sept........  we decided it was too soon but we'd look anyway.

To make a long story short....we went , we saw several dogs that needed homes and came home with 2 Lakeland Terriers. (neither one was the dog he originally called us about) In the above picture...Bogie, is 9, (on the left) and came from an elderly lady who had been hospitalized...terminal.....and Bella, was one of the breeders own dogs, a show dog that didn't work out -she is 7.  They wanted to find a home for her as they wanted to breed more dogs and didn't have the room or time to devote to all of them.

They are terriers....lively, inquisitive, alert, playful...well Bogie is, Bella only plays outside with her giant ball and inside with a squeaky toy.
They both have issues(what dog doesn't have some)....but we are dealing with them with retraining.  Smart dogs, somewhat stubborn, but sweet.  Bogie is a real snuggle bunny...he is on my lap as soon as I sit down...even at the computer, responds to training with treats soooo easily, comes when he is called, sleeps against me at night...in fact follows me everywhere and is somewhat anxious when I leave him to go to work but gets over it quickly. Bella is a real watch dog...alert to any comings and goings in the neighborhood and alerts us.  She sleeps downstairs by one of the doors and is not a lap dog.....she prefers to lie beside my husband on the couch...not with me at all.  They get along well except when Bella barks too much, which neither we nor Bogie like...so he snarls and nips at her and she stops.  He is the boss after all! They are easy to groom, easy to bathe and go next week for their first haircut since we got them.  NON SHEDDING DOGS...love them!!!  I still get tears in my eyes and a sad heart when I think of my little Nellie but the wee doggies (15 pounds each) Bella and Bogie have found a place in my big heart already.  I can't imagine life without a dog or two to share it with.

                                                                  In memory of Nellie    2004 -2010


You Learn

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn...
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong

And you really do have worth...
And you learn and learn...
With every good-bye you learn.


by Jorge Luis Borges
Translation by Veronica A. Shoffstall

It has been almost a year...what a year.  There have been very good times and very, very sad times.  Several friends and neighbours passed away last year ...cancer...how very sad.  We lost our dear, dear little dog Nellie in August after a rare blood disorder that did not respond to anything we tried. It just broke my heart.
My health seems to be on an upswing......it is so hard having an invisible illness (M.E). Work is going well....I have a great bunch of kids this year and a fantastic assistant-we make such a good team!!!
Lots of construction done or about to get underway around the old house and the cottage...will it ever end!!!
We couldn't imagine life without pets so we have adopted not one but two Lakeland Terriers...they are a challenge!!!
....but enough for now....the sun has risen and the day is about to unfold...more later...happy to be back!!!!

Warmer weather at last!

Tt seems that a warm March is upon us.  The temperatures have been above zero during the days -below zero at night -perfect to start an early maple sap run!!  The creeks are opening up and flowing with meltwater and we have seen the sun every day the last week!!

When I left for work the other day a sheltered bit of flower bed was still a mound of snow -but at night....the first snowdrops!!!

We are off this Saturday for our annual March Break Florida trip. It has been cool this year so I hope it warms up for next week!! I love the Matlacha area of Florida where JJ's sister has a home on the Matlacha Pass Aquatic Reserve.

Look out beach....here we come......back on March 21......hope that the Manatees are still hanging about!!!

The snow just keeps falling here in my corner of the world.  Nellie loves it of course...she rolls, and rolls and shoves her face itos the drifts snowplow style every few feet. It has been a mild winter, not too many days in the minus 20's or 30's. But with that....lots of flurries, snow, cloudy weather....very dreary.

Last night's flurries were heavy and wet creating this snowball bush - in winter.  I envy those bloggers from around the world who have frog spawn in ponds and the first flowers up. That is still months away here. March can be dreadful or mild and quite delightful...it is shaping up to be one of the delightful March's. My fingers are crossed!

The river was frozen over only for a few weeks this year.  40 years ago it used to freeze over in late November, we skated on it at Christmas and the ice didn't usually begin to break up until mid to late March......climate change....I think so.

Proud Canadian

Jeff Foxworthy’s has something to say about Canadians

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May,
You may live in Canada.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there,
You may live in Canada.

If you’ve worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
You may live in Canada.

If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number,
You may live in Canada.

If ‘Vacation’ means going anywhere south of Detroit for the weekend,
You may live in Canada.

If you measure distance in hours,
You may live in Canada.

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once,
You may live in Canada.

If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ in the same day and back again,
You may live in Canada.

If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching,
You may live in Canada.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked,
You may live in Canada.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them,
You may live in Canada.

If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,
You may live in Canada.

If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km – You’re going 95 and everybody is passing you,
You may live in Canada.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,
You may live in Canada.

If you know all 4 seasons:
Almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction,
You may live in Canada.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car,
You may live in Canada.

If you find -5 degrees ‘a little chilly’,
You may live in Canada.

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your friends,
you definitely are Canadian and proud to be.

...and so it begins....

        "She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language.  And birds fluttered around her writing "Yes" in the sky.  It is here where she must begin to tell her story."

....and so it begins again, my blog that is, with words from a new journal I bought in December.  The journal was purchased to record events and thoughts about spending "Christmas holidays" away from home for the first time in my 55 years.  Not a word was written in the journal...too busy enjoying the view, the people, the sights, sounds and smells of Dominican Republic. (not to mention the hot days, warm starry nights, warm ocean, the rejuvenating sunshine, long walks on white sand beaches, meeting new people from all over the world....Fantastic Time!!!

.......why spend Christmas away from home and family????   The main reason was that neither of my sons were coming home this year.....one is in Edmonton and it so expensive for him to fly home during peak traveling time, the other, spent Christmas with his girl friends family a 5 hour drive away. My side of the family are all over an hour away from where I live and enjoy a simpler celebration of holidays. Christmas with my husbands family is a week long event of overindulgence in every  sense of the word.  I just can't handle the excess ....the food, gifts, gatherings, parties etc.    When we returned I had everyone over for an afternoon and dinner of exchanging small gifts, visiting and a great but simple oven dinner.  It was fun, simple and over in less than a day!.  I don't like the commercialization of this holiday or any other holiday.  As I grow older, I find my path turning towards a simpler observance of the changing seasons -not one dictated to me by the stores and Hallmark Cards.

......and so my story begins again.  In the absence of posting I have still read my favourite blogs.  So much has happened.......loved ones ill or dying, beloved pets passing on.  Unfortunately 'tis the same here......This past summer we have lost several neighbours and high school friends all to various forms of cancer....still others are enduring the hardships of treatment......such a hideous disease.

......I have adjusted as well as anyone can to having M.E.  Recently I was diagnosed with asthma and degenerative disc disease as well. I've learned to pace myself....sieze the days I feel good and do the things I enjoy the most. I love to travel and we have decided to do more of that.  We spent a wonderful week in Cape Breton Island with our best friends and the dogs in August.  Emile was born there and has lots of family...stories for another day......I'm off to Florida for our March break with my husbands sister....a story yet to come.....

This is the most unwinter day today....leaden grey skies...40mm of rain so far today with a big freeze coming tonight......but it was warm and misty....soft drizzly rain and snow fog when I walked Nellie this afternoon.....

It has been awhile.....

Dear friends,

I've taken a break from blogland because I've had to deal with a changing health situation and a change in lifestyle, while outwardly trying to continue as if nothing has changed.
I know that I haven't been the same person that I once was for several years...it troubled me.....it frustrated me...it was depressing for me. I have sought the opinion of several doctors and naturopaths to try and come up with an explanation for all my "health" issues. Was it empty nest syndrome, was it menopause...was it something else????? It has been a long slow process, during which I have tried to be brave, tried to be cheerful, tried to be positive, tried to carry on as if nothing was wrong. On the outside ...nothing has changed...a few more gray hairs...a few more stubborn pounds. But JJ and a few close friends can attest...in the privacy of my home....I have been quite miserable and difficult to live with.
Recently, after another trip to the doctor, after months of massage therapy and chiropractic care (which did little to relieve symptoms), I was finally given a diagnosis. I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. It is also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is a serious illness that affects the whole body; predominantly the neurological, endocrine and immune systems. It is characterized by overwhelming fatigue and a vast array of other symptoms that are often debilitating. It is different for every person, different from day to day, season to season and even from hour to hour. That is why it is so difficult to diagnose and why doctors monitor a person for a long time to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms.
Research has failed as of yet to identify a specific cause or trigger -they have only come up with a list. Again, it could be one or a combination of things. There is no cure...but there are several treatment options that may or may not work. There are coping strategies which are an important part of the treatment program. Informing and educating friends, family and coworkers is one of these strategies. That is what I'm doing in this blog....informing my blog friends.
So....how does this affect me.......well......and this is very hard for me .....as I am a private person when it comes to my health, my feelings......but I have been encouraged by my doctor to start by describing my symptoms to a dozen or so people, talk about it openly and hopefully some understanding and support will follow when I need it......then talk to more people....and so on.
.......there are times that I am incredibly, overwhelmingly tired.......I've fallen asleep at the computer....during lunch time at school....in the car (as a passenger).....in the afternoons... in the evenings. I've missed alot of work this year because I was just feeling like shit! I have had to give up doing many things because I get so fatigued and in pain after the simplest of tasks....not to mention I often have difficulty concentrating...like reading a book - completing my required schoolwork took me twice or three times as long to do as it did several years ago. I actually asked my doctor last September if I was getting Alzheimer's because I had such a word retrieval problem....difficult especially when I was teaching!! Often I sleep 10, 12, 14 hours a day yet I feel like I didn't sleep at all. Other nights I can hardly sleep due to the muscle and joint pain that I have had daily for several years. Some days during this past winter I couldn't even walk around town to walk the dog...it hurt that much. My blood pressure and body temperature have been out of whack for several years...sometimes up...sometimes down......and I often have a sore throat. I get dizzy...not good driving home. I have had different headaches (not migraines from which I have had all my life)....just a dull ache that sometimes goes on for days. My joints and muscles have given me the most difficulty over the past year...I hurt ....all the time......I have had muscle weakness especially in the hands....I feel really stupid and useless when I have to ask someone to open a bottle of water for me....sometimes I can't even open a doorknob...I have to switch hands. I had several falls this winter.....I cracked ribs on a fall while skating and knocked myself out falling on the road during the winter.....I now know they were both likely due to dizzy spells and co-ordination problems I sometimes experience....sometimes I feel like a can't even walk right. I have multiple chemical sensitivities and multiple food intolerances ....both are symptoms of M.E. I often experience sensory overload....so by the time that school is over all I want to do is come home and sit (fall asleep) in a quiet house. The scariest symptom has been the depression. It isn't a symptom of M.E. but it often goes hand in hand with it as does suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Feeling like crap all the time with no answers, not being able to do the things I once did has caused me to withdraw from social activities and situations......it is hard keeping up a front. I have felt overwhelmingly sad and sorry for myself at times....
So....those are the worst symptoms....some I have learned to accept....I've made lots of changes and accommodations in my life......but have a long way to go........accepting this and making the changes has not been easy...it is ongoing..........modifying my activity levels, crucial in managing symptoms has been the most difficult.......JJ has been very supportive, generous and helpful to me and I am so thankful for Nellie who loves me no matter what I can and can't do. She makes me laugh at her antics every day. I have a few friends that have been there when I needed help and check on me when I'm sick and overwhelmed by life and try to keep me smiling. This is the real reason I started the blog several months back...to connect with people without the judgement I was getting...then for a time it became just too hard to write and read even the blogs I have so enjoyed...so I decided a bit of a break to get through to the end of school (nearly there) .
The good news is I am on some new medication that has helped relieve the constant muscle and joint pain...at least for part of the day......and as long as I don't try to do too much....no more superwoman living in this house. I have to accept weeds in my flower beds.....dust bunnies in the corners......laundry that doesn't get done, the household projects that take weeks instead of hours to get done.... On a positive note.....I take more time to notice the dew drops on the leaves, the different birds that visit my garden, the changing skies..........
In closing..... thanks for taking the time to read this.......
Take care......wish me luck that I'll reach that plateau soon that chronic illness's tend to do....pray that research finds more treatments.......thanks for allowing me to share this.....I promise not to whine about it...that isn't in my nature..........keep well yourself.......I've lots of pictures to post of the garden and the new waterfall feature.........I'm happy to be back... Eileen

May Flowers

..warmth & wisdom....

....on Thurs. April 23, my older son Ryan arrived home...so good to see him.....(pictures later)... Friday, Ryan, my first born turned 26...where have the years gone... he was off to Ottawa to pick up his girlfriend, Lindsay (yes, the same name as my younger son)...they are apartment hunting ...yea!!!!!moving closer for the next year......Lindsay is doing an internship at a new museum in Ottawa...Ryan, graduating with with Masters in Anthropology....?????sometime this spring?????...whenever his thesis is completed.....anyway, Sat. was perfect....warm....27C...the daffodils are in full bloom...other things in the garden bursting forth...almost before our eyes.

......we worked outside in the gardens all day....limped around and took pain medication at night.....as we were soooooo tired and sore from the unaccustomed hard physical labour...but got lots done...
...the Yellow Shafted Flickers were flying in their characteristic undulating patterns from tree top to TV antenna, to barn roofs etc. (any tall structure) drumming....calling "wick...wick...wick...wick...wick...drumming....calling -all day!!!! It is their way of looking suitable mates!!! Pretty birds...welcome harbinger of spring...but ALL DAY ...give it a break!!!

....I was beneath this one way up in the sugar maple...note the buds swelling!!!!....

....the day ended...still warm...but the weather forecaster says rain is on the way...good for the new grass seed I just sowed I guess....rest for the weary muscles too......

....an e-mail from a fellow artist....I think this advice applies to any "creative" endeavor....

The private lives of keeners
April 24, 2009

Dear Eileen,

Yesterday, Sara McManigle of Luverne, ND, asked: "How does an artist maintain the energy levels, motivation, and passion to realize her dreams? As hard as I try, I still get bogged down by others' condescension, the financial aspects, and time management. How do you keep the fire burning when you're so fizzled out?"Thanks, Sara. Artists need to be self-sustaining, private, "follow-your-bliss" islands unto themselves. Self-directed and independent, they make their own fizz. But artists need to realize that there are more than a few ways to become enthusiastic and motivated. One size does not fit all. Not surprisingly, artists with obsessive-compulsive tendencies and an addiction to work appear to be the keeners.One way to understand motivation is to look at the symbols represented by the things we do. A passion for kayaking, for example, might represent a desire for freedom or escape. That of dancing, for romance and love. Among other things, painting can represent a desire to re-order the universe or simply to fill the beauty gap. Nothing wrong with those. These passions, whether intrinsic or learned, are integral parts of our natures and need to be honoured. When we begin to understand our symbols, we can get on with the more mechanistic of the ploys--head down, focus, shutout or postponement of impedimenta, pump priming, multitasking and the wisdom of time-management.Furthermore, amateurs have a wisdom that professionals know not of. One can learn from amateurs. Successful self-motivators at any level are able to regularly return to their beginner-minds and rekindle earlier enthusiasms. Never underestimate your inner kid. Artists also need to be aware of their personal blockers--people, places and things--and be prepared to substitute positive over negative. Without trashing the wonderful mothers of our world, a frequently reported situation is the demanding, impossible-to-please mother who derails daughters and sons. Oh yeah, dads can do it to you too. Critical, failed, or bitter themselves, they are the kernel of a rolling, generational snowball that is difficult to stop. Stealthily and unwittingly a keen edge becomes dull and jaded. Artists so afflicted need to give thought to re-sharpening with alternate role models.

Best regards,Robert

PS: "If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm." (Bruce Barton)

Esoterica: From my perspective, every situation, every human being, is unique. While the loving input of true friends is certainly valuable, more than anything, each artist needs to work out private ploys that beat back the unique bugaboos. I appreciate this is not always easy, as circumstances can run powerful interference. But if I didn't know it can be done, is being done, and will be done, I wouldn't be tapping on this laptop. The word is "character." Character is built, not granted.

Well....this came today......after a wonderful Sunday spent with my brother, his partner, Ryan & Lindsay and JJ. My brother is a wonderfully talented artist......who, # 1 is an infrequent visitor, and # 2, is that talented individual whom Robert describes... whose mother and father unwittingly (????) discouraged the "artistic" talent that my siblings and I possessed as not being "important enough, worthy enough....???? whatever......most of us have found our ways....but I feel my brother is still looking for that confirmation,.......yes.... it is good enough, yes.... he is talented...yes.... continue to follow that passion.......is he still haunted by that critisim/disinterest from our parents????

We went to a local art show this afternoon ....developing artists showing their work...maybe there was nothing there I'd buy to hang on my walls, but I like to go such local events ...to talk to the artists...to tell them what I like about their work...to ask questions of their techniques....to freely give out compliments....perhaps that is the teacher in me.....I'm not sure the others in my family felt the same.....???? not professional enough for them??????

Anyway, great day...great conversation....great shared information about computer programs....great stories...great food and wine shared.....what a lovely way to spend a Sunday.....

Earth Day Bouquet

Today is Earth Day, and the first Daffodils opened along the bank of the creek...how perfect!
We had a bit of sun this afternoon......still cool....but now as the sun sets, a massive front is moving in quickly....rain again overnight.........

...birds & bags

......it was another cold start to the day...one that promised rain....lots of new birds this morning on our walk......I noticed more Loons out on the river (likely migrating north)....lots of female Red Winged Blackbirds (males have been back for some time), Blue Herons and Purple Martins
.....there have been 4 Merganzers hanging around for a week or more.....always together.....the male is so completely different than the female.....in the previous shot those are the Merganzers flying toward me -enlarge the picture to see them....

...this afternoon was very windy and I noticed bags...wretched plastic bags.....caught in trees, along the fence lines, in the creek, along the river bank....just recently several major grocery store chains announced they will start charging 5 cents per bag at their stores...all I can say ..."it is about time!!!"....perhaps soon they will eliminate them altogether.....I do use them as dog pooper scoopers however when walking Nellie on the local streets or in the park, etc....but they are recycled plastic and tiny hand size bags...

......it rained this afternoon...we do need it to green things up......cleared somewhat....clouded over again after sunset and is raining heavily right now with temperatures dropping to freezing later.......love the pastels of the sunset this evening......makes me think of the Northern Lights.......

Spring

Quite a delightful morning -still cold in the morning (near freezing), but calm, with the promise of a warm day. The birds are everywhere.....ducks.....

.....migrant snow geese that spent the night on the island.....

.....seconds away from sunrise, a Common Loon has flown up the river calling, for several days now. I heard and saw him in the evening as well. Years ago we never saw Loons on the river, now they nest somewhere close by and can be heard calling every morning and evening.
Amazingly - the previous 3 pictures were taken just minutes apart -just in different directions.

This afternoon, more crocus had opened......

...the Hazelnut bushes were full of bees on the catkins.....

...Chinodoxia carpet the ground....love that colour!!!!!

Finding Beauty

Nellie was a trifle dirty after our walk in the woods today. The sun was shining, but the wind made it too cold to work in the garden today so we went for a walk in the woods. This is the result....big mistake....no...I'm not bothered by dirty dogs or kids....I used to have to hose my kids off after playing outside in the spring...in the mud, in the water, in the creek, in the woods....they had FUN so what if they got filthy.... Nellie...I just sloshed her legs around in a bucket of warm water and pulled out all the leaves and twigs, toweled her off, then told her to stay on the sunny porch for awhile till she dried......she had fun too.
The woods are so dreary this time of the year....mostly grey/brown....until you look closely for signs of life...like this moss...

....woods at first glance.....treasures waiting to be found......

Wood Ducks are quite common in our area -if you frequent wooded swamps!!! Otherwise they are not commonly seen. As we walked along the creek today, I spied a male Wood Duck.....didn't see the female.....he was beautiful......he dove beneath the water when he heard Nellie then flew up the creek. What a beautiful jewel we found in the dreary woods today!!!!

Atmospheric Moisture

The atmosphere has been laden with moisture since the last week of March around here. We've had rain or snow almost every day for weeks. The temperatures have remained low with just teasing glimpses of the sun's increasing warmth. The sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular most days however.......a few glimpses......

......pink morning skies reflected in a puddle in the garden.....

......sunrise seen from the lane through the hedgerow.....

......sunset mountains in the mist......(actually just clouds).....

....finally some clearing evening skies......

.....Easter Sunday promises to be sunny....not warm....still below freezing or slightly above.......the long range forecast is for increasing sun, increasing temperatures this week...finally hoping to begin more clean up in the gardens....daffodils are progressing nicely...perhaps some in sheltered areas might even bloom this week......wishing.......