Winter Happy

Remember the amaryllis bulb I started back in December? Well...

 

The day of the first bloom has arrived. Is it possible to be in love with a flower? I am definitely smitten, big time.

dining out...walking...home again

It's been a nice first week of January, no complaints. We have managed to make it this far into the depths of winter without any snow to speak of, which I like, and even better, temperatures have been mild in comparison to other years. 
I've been sticking pretty close to home these past two weeks so it was quite exciting when our daughter, Alex, called to invite us to lunch at Long Grain, a favorite local restaurant. Six for lunch and everything was superb, only wish that I had remembered to get a picture of my ramen bowl before it disappeared! Such a nice afternoon it was!

This time of year always finds me making to-do lists and visiting the library more than usual for inspiring reading material. I've been getting some new ideas about how to make exercising a bit more fun and varied in this book and like one of the suggestions for winter walking. The idea involves an occasional visit to the local shopping mall for indoor walking on the coldest of days. The only problem, in my case, is that the closest mall is over an hour and a half away, ah well.

I bundled up this afternoon and headed out to our neighborhood for a walk. Instead of mall shoppers I ran into quite a different sort of throng, you can begin to see them on the crest of the hill in the above picture.

Wild Turkeys!

 I don't think that they were as happy to see me as I was to see them!

In moments they had all disappeared into the woods and I was left alone in a silent field.

I love these little adventures but it's always good to return home afterwards.

Home again!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day 2012 dawned beautifully sunny. These are the narcissus and amaryllis bulbs I started on December 16th. The first blossom is almost ready to open.

Always worth the effort, I love watching them grow as much as I do the flowers that eventually bloom bright and beautiful.

Christmas has passed but we will enjoy the tree and other decorations for another week or two. I don't want things to get back to normal quite yet.

May you all have a peaceful and happy new year!

making ready

Last night I was up late baking cookies and adding just a few more finishing touches to the tree. Things have been so busy around here in recent days, Christmas is almost here and I've yet to feel the quiet beauty of the season.

Before bed I began a walk around the house to turn down the lights but found myself just wandering from room to room, enjoying the sights of Christmas and taking in the peaceful quiet.

Many of the things we've gathered throughout the years are gifts from dear friends or handmade projects made when our children were younger.

So many happy memories and many more to come.

...and then...

...we woke this morning to find that snow had fallen during the night, big, fluffy snowflakes, the kind that stick to everything and make the world all white.

... so quiet and peaceful...

Best wishes to all, may winter work its mysterious, calming magic and may you all be snug and warm tonight!

10 Days

Well, here it is, 10 days before Christmas and I've decided to see if I can coax a few indoor bulbs for the occasion. Whether they bloom or not in time for the great day is unimportant to me, it's the sight of green growth that matters most now, when nights are lengthening and winter is surely taking hold. 

I must add that the weather in our area has been unseasonably warm this year.  The ground is bare and we still have edible kale in the garden. We harvested the last of our carrots only days ago, they are so sweet and beautifully orange.

 

So, today I hope to step out into our woods to gather some balsam and cedar greens for the house, maybe even some red berries if I'm lucky enough to find some. The tree is up, not the fullest tree we've had over the years but not bad for a wild tree from the back woodlot. It's going to be just fine.

 

Santa's workshop will be a busy place over the next few days, I love this time of year!

November 2nd

This day is blessed in my book, it's the day that my twin daughters came into this world. I won't mention ages here, but say only that the world is very lucky to have these November 2nd women. It has been a great adventure to know and love them!

   Born also today...Birthday Greetings sister! You know who you are...love you!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Five little Pumpkins sitting on a fence.
The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late."
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "I don't care."
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."
The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"
Ooooooooooooo went the wind and out went the lights
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Men and their headgear, only on Halloween night!